Isopoda Latreille, 1816 is an order that consists of a vast number of taxa, living and thriving in land, sea, fresh- and groundwater. Isopods in the Southern Ocean are highly speciose and well-represented from the shelf to deep-sea zones. Biogeographical data regarding Ross Sea isopods are presented here, examining the National Antarctic Museum (MNA) Genoa section samples belonging to 15 Antarctic Expeditions. A total of 279 MNA samples were identified, resulting in 53 accepted species distributed in 24 families and 48 genera. From this identification, 15 species are considered new records for the Ross Sea area. GBIF and OBIS (Ocean Biodiversity Information System) (https://obis.org) databases, and bibliographic research were used as validation to the eventually new records for the Ross Sea area. This dataset describes the abundance and distribution of Isopoda of the 15 antarctic campaigns: PNRA Expedition Xth (1994/95), XIth (1995/96), XIIIth (1997/98), XIVth (1998/99), XVIIth (2001/02), XIXth (2003/04), XXVth (2009/10), XXVIIth (2011/12), XXVIIIth (2012/13), XXIXth (2013/14), XXXIIth (2016/17), XXXIVth (2018/19), and NSF (National Science Foundation) "Icefish04", and BAS (British Antarctic Survey) Expedition JR15005 "SO-AntEco" and JR18003 "ICEBERGS2". at Southern Ocean between 23 January 1995 and 05 December 2018.

This new dataset presents occurrence data for Porifera collected in the Ross Sea, mainly in the Terra Nova Bay area, and curated at the Italian National Antarctic Museum (MNA, section of Genoa). Specimens were collected in 331 different sampling stations at depths ranging from 17 to 1100 meters in the framework of 17 different Italian Antarctic expeditions funded by the Italian National Antarctic Research Program (PNRA). This dataset focuses on all classes (Calcarea, Demospongiae, Hexactinellida and Homoscleromorpha) of the Phylum Porifera (Kingdom Animalia), and includes a total of 807 specimens belonging to 144 morphospecies (with 95 taxa classified at species level and 49 at genus level), are included in the dataset and representing 12 orders and 30 families.

During the XVIII Italian Antarctic expedition (2002/03), 63 rocks have been sampled within the aim of the project "Geological mapping of Victoria Land" in northern and southern Victoria Land. They include intrusive, subvolcanic, volcanic, metamorphic and sedimentary rocks and sands. The investigated regions are within Convoy Range ST 57-60/1, Freyberg Mountains SS 58-60/1, Mount Joyce SS 55-57/16, Mount Melbourne SS 58-60/9, Reeves Névé SS 55-57/12 and Sequence Hills SS 55-57/8 USGS sheets.

During the XII Italian Antarctic expedition (1996/97), 721 rocks have been sampled within the aim of the project "Crustal accretion in northern Victoria Land: structure, metamorphism, kinematics and chronology of the junction between Wilson, Bowers and Robertson Bay terranes" in northern Victoria Land. They include intrusive, subvolcanic, volcanic, metamorphic and sedimentary rocks. The investigated regions are within Coulman Island SS 58-60/6, Ebbe Glacier SR 57-58/16, Freyberg Mountains SS 58-60/1, Mount Murchison SS 58-60/5, Mount Soza SR 57-58/15, Ob' Bay SR 57-58/11 and Yule Bay SR 57-58/12 USGS sheets.

Antarctic and SubAntarctic Ophiuroidea - MNA (Section of Genoa)

During the XXVI and XXVII Italian Antarctic expeditions (2010/11, 2011/12), 668 rocks have been sampled within the aim of the project "Geological continental markers of Cenozoic climate changes in Victoria Land, Antarctica" in northern Victoria Land. They include intrusive, subvolcanic, volcanic, metamorphic and sedimentary rocks. The investigated regions are within Cape Hallett SS 58-60/2, Coulman Island SS 58-60/6, Mount Joyce SS 55-57/16, Mount Melbourne SS 58-60/9, Mount Murchison SS 58-60/5 and Relief Inlet SS 58-60/13 USGS sheets.

During the I Italian Antarctic expedition (1985/86), 73 rocks have been sampled within the aim of the project "Volcanological research program" in northern Victoria Land. They include different volcanic rocks. The investigated regions are within Mount Melbourne SS 58-60/9 and Mount Murchison SS 58-60/5 USGS sheets.

This dataset includes all the howardite meteorites (asteroidal achondrites) collected during the XXXIII Italian Antarctic Expedition (2018) in Victoria Land and now preserved at the repository of the Museo Nazionale dell’Antartide.

During the XX and XXI Italian Antarctic expeditions (2004/05, 2005/06), 605 rocks have been sampled within the aim of the project "Cenozoic magmatism in Victoria Land: a tracer of geodynamic processes and of global evolution of climate" in northern Victoria Land. They include intrusive, subvolcanic, volcanic, metamorphic and sedimentary rocks and sediments. The investigated regions are within Cape Adare SR 59-60/13*, Cape Hallett SS 58-60/2, Coulman Island SS 58-60/6, Freyberg Mountains SS 58-60/1, Mount Melbourne SS 58-60/9 and Mount Murchison SS 58-60/5 USGS sheets.

During the XV and XVII Italian Antarctic expeditions (1999/2000, 2001/02), 23 glacial deposits have been sampled within the aim of the project "Geomorphological and glaciological mapping of Victoria Land" in northern and southern Victoria Land. The investigated regions are within Mount Joyce SS 55-57/16, Mount Melbourne SS 58-60/9 and Taylor Glacier ST 57-60/5 USGS sheets.