ASCOTHORACIDAE GRYGIER, 1987

Chan, Benny K. K., Dreyer, Niklas, Gale, Andy S., Glenner, Henrik, Ewers-Saucedo, Christine, Pérez-Losada, Marcos, Kolbasov, Gregory A., Crandall, Keith A. & Høeg, Jens T., 2021, The evolutionary diversity of barnacles, with an updated classification of fossil and living forms, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 193, pp. 789-846 : 822-823

FAMILY ASCOTHORACIDAE GRYGIER, 1987

Diagnosis: Parasites of ophiuroids living in cysts within genital bursae. Females with bivalved, swollen, usually rounded carapace, with dorsal brood chamber. Antennules five-segmented, fourth segment usually with bifid preaxial chin, fifth segment with moveable or fixed claw or fused with claw completely. Long, setiform mandibles ending in brush of distal setules. Anterior thoracomeres with various dorsal processes or ridges. Six or five pairs of thoracopods; first thoracopod reduced in size, uniramous or absent. Abdomen fivesegmented, furcal rami elongated. Cypridiform males accompanying females with oval, bivalved carapace; thorax without dorsal processes; antennules and mouthparts resembling those of females; six or five pairs of thoracopods, uniramous or with reduced endopods on pairs 2–5. Carapace with four pairs of lattice organs.

Comment: Kolbasov & Petrunina (2019) concluded that there are no diagnostic differences between the monotypic Parascothorax Wagin, 1964 and Ascothorax Djakonov, 1914 and proposed that Parascothorox is an invalid genus. Parascothorax synagogoides Wagin, 1964 was reassigned to Ascothorax .

Ascothorax Djakonov, 1914 (ten species)

Cardiosaccus Kolbasov & Petrunina, 2019 (one species)