''Catophragmus'' is the originally named genus of the family

Catophragmidae 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 b ...

. At present, it is monotypical. It is a shallow water

acorn barnacle Acorn barnacle and acorn shell are Common name, vernacular names for certain types of stalkless barnacles, generally excluding goose barnacles, stalked or gooseneck barnacles. As adults they are typically cone-shaped, symmetrical, and attached to r ...

of the Tropical Western

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...

and

Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...

characterized by small accessory imbricating plates surrounding the base of the shell wall.

Diagnosis and discussion

The shell wall of ''Catophragmus'' has eight free plates, with no fusion, and all entering the

sheath Sheath pronounced as , may refer to: * Scabbard, a sheath for holding a sword, knife, or other large blade, as well as guns, such as rifles. * The outer covering of a cable * Condom, a kind of contraception * Debye sheath, a layer of a plasma in ...

. In contrast to '' Catolasmus'', the other Northern Hemisphere catophragmid genus, imbricating plates extend only partway up the primary shell wall, and have usually four whorls, as opposed to 10. Many specimens have been recovered with few or no accessory plates remaining.491
As the imbricating whorls are small and apparently deciduous, this is explained as a result of grazing gastropods. The basis is calcareous, thin, and solid. Where it attaches to the shell wall, there are cavities matching small teeth on the basal edge of the wall plates.491
The

scutum The ''scutum'' (; plural ''scuta'') was a type of shield used among Italic peoples in antiquity, most notably by the army of ancient Rome starting about the fourth century BC. The Romans adopted it when they switched from the military formati ...

differs from that of '' Catolasmus'' in showing a well defined lateral depressor muscle pit. The labrum bears teeth and bristles, unlike in '' Catolasmus''. There has been some confusion as to the exact date of Sowerby's publication. Both 1826 and 1827 can be found in different publications. This problem was addressed by Sykes, 1906, and he concluded 1826 was the correct date. Sykes is followed here, and by this editor.

Nomenclature

* Type species: ''

Catophragmus imbricatus ''Catophragmus'' is the originally named genus of the family Catophragmidae. At present, it is monotypical. It is a shallow water acorn barnacle of the Tropical Western Atlantic and Caribbean characterized by small accessory imbricating plates ...

'' Sowerby, 1826 ** Fixation: monotypy, by Sowerby, 1826 * Type locality: Antigua, Leeward Islands, (), attached to shell of '' Tetraclita porosa'' * Types: two specimens in British Museum

Habitat and Geographic range

''Catophragmus imbricatus'' inhabits the lower

littoral The littoral zone or nearshore is the part of a sea, lake, or river that is close to the shore. In coastal ecology, the littoral zone includes the intertidal zone extending from the high water mark (which is rarely inundated), to coastal areas ...

zone throughout the Western

(

Bermuda ) , anthem = "God Save the King" , song_type = National song , song = " Hail to Bermuda" , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , mapsize2 = , map_caption2 = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = , e ...

) and

West Indies The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greater A ...

. Although originally found on

Antigua Antigua ( ), also known as Waladli or Wadadli by the native population, is an island in the Lesser Antilles. It is one of the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean region and the main island of the country of Antigua and Barbuda. Antigua and Bar ...

, it was not present there in 1998. Ross and Newman also reported occurrences in

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

, Cozumel, and Islota Aves. These populations show sufficient differences in morphology to possibly belong to 2 or more species.

References

External links

{{Taxonbar, from=Q11842112 Barnacles Maxillopoda