Thoracica is an

infraclass In biological classification, class ( la, classis) is a taxonomic rank, as well as a taxonomic unit, a taxon, in that rank. It is a group of related taxonomic orders. Other well-known ranks in descending order of size are life, domain, kingdo ...

crustacean Crustaceans (Crustacea, ) form a large, diverse arthropod taxon which includes such animals as decapods, seed shrimp, branchiopods, fish lice, krill, remipedes, isopods, barnacles, copepods, amphipods and mantis shrimp. The crustacean group ...

s which contains the most familiar species of

barnacle A barnacle is a type of arthropod constituting the subclass Cirripedia in the subphylum Crustacea, and is hence related to crabs and lobsters. Barnacles are exclusively marine, and tend to live in shallow and tidal waters, typically in erosive ...

s found on rocky

coast The coast, also known as the coastline or seashore, is defined as the area where land meets the ocean, or as a line that forms the boundary between the land and the coastline. The Earth has around of coastline. Coasts are important zones in ...

s, such as ''

Semibalanus balanoides ''Semibalanus balanoides'' (common barnacle, common rock barnacle, northern rock barnacle) is a common and widespread boreo-arctic species of acorn barnacle. It is common on rocks and other substrates in the intertidal zone of north-western Eu ...

'' and ''

Chthamalus stellatus ''Chthamalus stellatus'', common name Poli's stellate barnacle, is a species of acorn barnacle common on rocky shores in South West England, Ireland, and Southern Europe. It is named after Giuseppe Saverio Poli. Description ''C. stellatus'' i ...

''. They have six well-developed limbs, and may be either stalked or

sessile Sessility, or sessile, may refer to: * Sessility (motility), organisms which are not able to move about * Sessility (botany), flowers or leaves that grow directly from the stem or peduncle of a plant * Sessility (medicine), tumors and polyps that ...

. The carapace is heavily calcified. The group includes free-living and

commensal Commensalism is a long-term biological interaction (symbiosis) in which members of one species gain benefits while those of the other species neither benefit nor are harmed. This is in contrast with mutualism, in which both organisms benefit fro ...

species.

Classification

This article follows Chan et al. (2021) and WoRMS in placing Thoracica as an infraclass of

Thecostraca Thecostraca is a class of marine invertebrates containing over 2,200 described species. Many species have planktonic larvae which become sessile or parasitic as adults. The most important subgroup are the barnacles (subclass Cirripedia), consti ...

and in the following classification of thoracicans down to the level of family: : Infraclass Thoracica Darwin, 1854 :: Superorder Phosphatothoracica Gale, 2019 ::: Order

Iblomorpha Iblomorpha is a small order of barnacles in the class Thecostraca Thecostraca is a class of marine invertebrates containing over 2,200 described species. Many species have planktonic larvae which become sessile or parasitic as adults. The ...

Buckeridge & Newman, 2006 :::: Family

Iblidae Iblidae is a family of crustaceans belonging to the order Iblomorpha Iblomorpha is a small order of barnacles in the class Thecostraca Thecostraca is a class of marine invertebrates containing over 2,200 described species. Many species ha ...

Leach, 1825 :::: Family Idioiblidae Buckeridge & Newman, 2006 ::: Order †

Eolepadomorpha Eolepadomorpha is an extinct order of barnacles in the class Thecostraca Thecostraca is a class of marine invertebrates containing over 2,200 described species. Many species have planktonic larvae which become sessile or parasitic as adults. ...

Chan et al., 2021 :::: Family †

Eolepadidae Eolepadidae is an extinct family of barnacles in the order Eolepadomorpha Eolepadomorpha is an extinct order of barnacles in the class Thecostraca Thecostraca is a class of marine invertebrates containing over 2,200 described species. Many ...

Buckeridge, 1983 :::: Family † Praelepadidae Chernyshev, 1930 :: Superorder Thoracicalcarea Gale, 2015 ::: Order Balanomorpha Pilsbry, 1916 :::: Superfamily Balanoidea Leach, 1817 ::::: Family Balanidae Leach, 1817 ::::: Family Pyrgomatidae Gray, 1825 :::: Superfamily Chthamaloidea Darwin, 1854 ::::: Family Catophragmidae Utinomi, 1968 ::::: Family Chionelasmatidae Buckeridge, 1983 ::::: Family Chthamalidae Darwin, 1854 ::::: Family Pachylasmatidae Utinomi, 1968 ::::: Family Waikalasmatidae Ross & Newman, 2001 :::: Superfamily Coronuloidea Leach, 1817 ::::: Family Austrobalanidae Newman & Ross, 1976 ::::: Family Bathylasmatidae Newman & Ross, 1971 ::::: Family Chelonibiidae Pilsbry, 1916 ::::: Family Coronulidae Leach, 1817 ::::: Family Tetraclitidae Gruvel, 1903 :::: Superfamily Elminioidea Chan et al., 2021 ::::: Family Elminiidae Foster, 1982 :::: Superfamily † Pachydiadematoidea Chan et al., 2021 ::::: Family † Pachydiadematidae Chan et al., 2021 ::: Order Calanticomorpha Chan et al., 2021 :::: Family Calanticidae Zevina, 1978 :::: Family † Cretiscalpellidae Buckeridge, 1983 :::: Family † Titanolepadidae Gale & Sørensen, 2015 ::: Order Pollicipedomorpha Chan et al., 2021 :::: Family Lithotryidae Gruvel, 1905 :::: Family Pollicipedidae Leach, 1817 :::: Family † Zeugmatolepadidae Newman, 1996 ::: Order

Scalpellomorpha Scalpellomorpha is an order of acorn barnacles in the class Thecostraca Thecostraca is a class of marine invertebrates containing over 2,200 described species. Many species have planktonic larvae which become sessile or parasitic as adults. ...

Buckeridge & Newman, 2006 :::: Superfamily Lepadoidea Chan et al., 2021 ::::: Family

Heteralepadidae Heteralepadidae is a family of goose barnacles. Genera The World Register of Marine Species The World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) is a taxonomic database that aims to provide an authoritative and comprehensive list of names of marine ...

Nilsson-Cantell, 1921 ::::: Family

Lepadidae Lepadidae is a family of goose barnacles, erected by Charles Darwin Charles Robert Darwin ( ; 12 February 1809 – 19 April 1882) was an English naturalist, geologist, and biologist, widely known for his contributions to evolutio ...

Darwin, 1852 ::::: Family

Malacolepadidae Malacolepadidae is a family of acorn barnacles in the order Scalpellomorpha Scalpellomorpha is an order of acorn barnacles in the class Thecostraca Thecostraca is a class of marine invertebrates containing over 2,200 described species. Many ...

Hiro, 1937 ::::: Family

Poecilasmatidae Poecilasmatidae is a family of goose barnacles. Genera The World Register of Marine Species The World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) is a taxonomic database that aims to provide an authoritative and comprehensive list of names of marine ...

Annandale, 1909 ::::: Family

Rhizolepadidae ''Rhizolepas'' is a genus of crustacean Crustaceans (Crustacea, ) form a large, diverse arthropod taxon which includes such animals as decapods, seed shrimp, branchiopods, fish lice, krill, remipedes, isopods, barnacles, copepods, amphipod ...

Zevina, 1980 :::: Superfamily Neolepadoidea Chan et al., 2021 ::::: Family

Neobrachylepadidae ''Neobrachylepas'' is a monotypic genus of crustacean Crustaceans (Crustacea, ) form a large, diverse arthropod taxon which includes such animals as decapods, seed shrimp, branchiopods, fish lice, krill, remipedes, isopods, barnacles, cope ...

Newman & Yamaguchi, 1995 ::::: Family

Neolepadidae Neolepadidae is a family of crustaceans belonging to the order Scalpellomorpha Scalpellomorpha is an order of acorn barnacles in the class Thecostraca Thecostraca is a class of marine invertebrates containing over 2,200 described species. M ...

Yamaguchi, Newman & Hashimoto, 2004 ::::: Family

Neoverrucidae Neoverrucidae is a family of crustaceans belonging to the order Scalpellomorpha Scalpellomorpha is an order of acorn barnacles in the class Thecostraca Thecostraca is a class of marine invertebrates containing over 2,200 described species. ...

Newman, 1989 in Hessler & Newman, 1989 ::::: Family Probathylepadidae Ren & Sha, 2015 :::: Superfamily Scalpelloidea Chan et al., 2021 ::::: Family

Scalpellidae Scalpellidae is a family of acorn barnacles in the order Scalpellomorpha Scalpellomorpha is an order of acorn barnacles in the class Thecostraca Thecostraca is a class of marine invertebrates containing over 2,200 described species. Many sp ...

Pilsbry, 1907 ::::: Family † Proverrucidae Newman, 1989 in Hessler & Newman, 1989 ::: Order

Verrucomorpha Verrucomorpha is an order of asymmetrical sessile barnacles in the class Thecostraca Thecostraca is a class of marine invertebrates containing over 2,200 described species. Many species have planktonic larvae which become sessile or parasiti ...

Pilsbry, 1916 :::: Family

Verrucidae Verrucidae is a family of asymmetrical sessile barnacles in the order Verrucomorpha Verrucomorpha is an order of asymmetrical sessile barnacles in the class Thecostraca Thecostraca is a class of marine invertebrates containing over 2,200 d ...

Darwin, 1854 :::: Family † Eoverrucidae Gale, 2020 ::: Order †

Archaeolepadomorpha Archaeolepadomorpha is an extinct order of barnacles in the class Thecostraca Thecostraca is a class of marine invertebrates containing over 2,200 described species. Many species have planktonic larvae which become sessile or parasitic as adu ...

Chan et al., 2021 :::: Family † Archaeolepadidae Gale, 2019 :::: Family † Myolepadidae Gale, 2015 in Gale & Sørensen, 2015 :::: Family † Stramentidae Withers, 1920 ::: Order †

Brachylepadomorpha Brachylepadidae is an extinct family of barnacles in the order Brachylepadomorpha, the sole family in the order. There are about 7 genera and more than 20 described species in Brachylepadidae. Genera These genera belong to the family Brachylepad ...

Withers, 1923 :::: Family † Brachylepadidae Woodward, 1901

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q283537 Barnacles Arthropod superorders