Elminius Leach, 1825

Buckeridge, John S. & Newman, William A., 2010, A review of the subfamily Eliminiinae (Cirripedia: Thoracica: Austrobalanidae), including a new genus, Protelminius nov., from the Oligocene of New Zealand, Zootaxa 2349, pp. 39-54 : 43-44

Genus Elminius Leach, 1825

Elminius Leach, 1825: 210 . — Darwin, 1854: 345. — Ross, 1970: 9. — Newman and Ross, 1976: 52 Elminius (Elminius) Buckeridge, 1983a: 353 .

Diagnosis: Four-plated elminiine lacking distinct external ribbing; parietes smooth internally (“inflected inner basal margin” absent), but with fine striae at basal edge; scutum lacking adductor ridge, articular ridge prominent, tergum with spur removed from basi-rostral angle; scutum and tergum often fused together by internal secondary calcification.

Distribution and age: Littoral, low energy environments. Recent: Southern South America. Type: Elminius kingii Gray, 1831: 13 (subsequent designation: Pilsbry 1916: 260). Recent: Chile below 30°S, Cape Horn to Punta Arenas, Argentina, Falkland Islands. Elminius kingii is remarkably tolerant of high levels of fresh water, occurring with essentially freshwater amphipods (Hyallela) at the mouth of the Rio Salton in southern Chile ( Davenport et al., 1995).

Remarks: Elminius is now a monotypic genus. Further important characters of E. kingii are the broad, smooth edged radii and the large orifice.