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Résumé :
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The amphipodcrustacean family gammaridae is represented in the freshwaters of the North America by eight genera and 81 described species ; numerous other species are still undescribed. These eight genera, with the number of described North American freshwater species in parenthese, include : gammarus 9, grangonyx 18, synurella 4, acrangonyx 6, stygonectes 29, stygobromus 10, bactrurus 3, and allocrangont=yx 2. Ecologically, the freshwater gammarids are an important group of aquatic invertebrates, with species found in a variety of biotopes, including lakes, streams, ponds, swamps, springs, and subterranean waters. The identification of amphipods is rather difficult, especially because accurate determination often depend on the recognition of diadnostic character combinations and the study of the whole morphology of the animals. In order to facilitate the identifivation of genera and the determination of species, analytical keys with accompanying illustrations are presented. Of further assistance are the inclusion of distributional maps showing the ranges of many of the species. A brief synopsis of pertinent ecological information and the type locality for each species are also given.
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