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 imbricating plates. The basis is membranous.^[3]: 57

Catophragmidae Temporal range: Cretaceous–recent PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Thecostraca
Subclass:	Cirripedia
Infraclass:	Thoracica
Superorder:	Thoracicalcarea
(unranked):	Sessilia
Order:	Balanomorpha
Superfamily:	Chthamaloidea
Family:	Catophragmidae Utinomi, 1968[1] nom. trans. Newman & Ross, 1976[2]36

This family occupies lower to upper midlittoral warm seas of the Pacific Coast of Central America, Caribbean, Bermuda, and Australia/Tasmania.^{[3]: 57 [4]} These populations are highly disjunct and can be seen as relictual.

The family contains these genera:^[5] All genera are at present monotypic.

• Catolasmus Ross & Newman, 2001^[4]: 81
• Catomerus Pilsbry, 1916
• Catophragmus Sowerby, 1827

The Catophragmidae have historically suffered from a lack of systematic attention. Ross and Newman, 2001^[4] published a revision of the family, proposing one new genus and creating two subfamilies: Catophragminae in the northern hemisphere and Catomerinae in the southern hemisphere. The family was discussed as representing very early balanomorph lineages. The known species conserve many plesiomorphic traits. In 2021, a reclassification by Chan et al. resulted in the removal of the subfamilies and one genus.^[6]