''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 (a rostrum plate, carinal plates, paired rostrolateral plates, carinolateral plates I and II), surrounded by several whorls of imbricatin ...

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

acorn barnacle Acorn barnacle and acorn shell are vernacular names for certain types of stalkless barnacles, generally excluding stalked or gooseneck barnacles. As adults they are typically cone-shaped, symmetrical, and attached to rocks or other fixed objects ...

of the Tropical Western

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the Age of Discovery, it was known for se ...

and

Caribbean The Caribbean ( , ; ; ; ) is a region in the middle of the Americas centered around the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, mostly overlapping with the West Indies. Bordered by North America to the north, Central America ...

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. 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'' (; :''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 formation of ...

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'' 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, also called litoral 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 i ...

zone throughout the Western

(

Bermuda Bermuda is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. The closest land outside the territory is in the American state of North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. Bermuda is an ...

) and

West Indies The West Indies is an island subregion of the Americas, surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, which comprises 13 independent island country, island countries and 19 dependent territory, dependencies in thr ...

. Although originally found on

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

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

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

Cozumel Cozumel (; ) is an island and municipality in the Caribbean Sea off the eastern coast of Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula, opposite Playa del Carmen. It is separated from the mainland by the Cozumel Channel and is close to the Yucatán Channel. The ...

, 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