| Acrothoracica | |
|---|---|
| The trace fossil Rogerella elliptica produced by acrothoracican barnacles (Jurassic, Israel). | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Crustacea |
| Class: | Maxillopoda |
| Infraclass: | Cirripedia |
| Superorder: | Acrothoracica Gruvel, 1905 |
| Orders & families [1] | |
|
Apygophora Berndt, 1907
Pygophora Berndt, 1907
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The Acrothoracica are a superorder of barnacles.
Acrothoracicans bore into calcareous material such as mollusc shells, coral, crinoids or hardgrounds, producing a slit-like hole in the surface known by the trace fossil name Rogerella. They are typically smaller than other types of barnacle, being only a few millimetres in length. Being protected by their boring, they have no solid carapace, and have a soft, sac-like body fixed to the surface by a chitinous disc at the front of the head. They have from one to six pairs of feathery limbs, or "cirri", which they project out of their borings to catch drifting detritus for food.[2]