Kingdom Animalia Subphylum Crustacea Infraclass Cirripedia Rank Family | Phylum Arthropoda Class Maxillopoda Order Sessilia | |
People also search for Chthamaloidea, Catomerus | ||
The Catophragmidae are a family of barnacles in the superfamily Chthamaloidea with eight shell wall plates (rostrum, carina, paired rostrolatera, carinolatera I and carinolatera II), surrounded by several whorls of imbricating plates. The basis is membranous.
This family occupies lower to upper midlittoral warm seas of the Pacific Coast of Central America, Caribbean, Bermuda, and Australia/Tasmania. These populations are highly disjunct and can be seen as relictual.
Two subfamilies are recognized:
The family contains these genera: All genera are at present monotypic.
The Catophragmidae have historically suffered from a lack of systematic attention. Ross and Newman, 2001 published a revision of the family, proposing one new genus and creating two subfamilies. The family was discussed as representing very early balanomorph lineages. The known species conserve many plesiomorphic traits.