Neoscalpellum Pilsbry, 1907

Shalaeva, Kate & Boxshall, Geoff, 2014, An illustrated catalogue of the scalpellid barnacles (Crustacea: Cirripedia: Scalpellidae) collected during the HMS “ Challenger ” expedition and deposited in the Natural History Museum, London, Zootaxa 3804 (1), pp. 1-63 : 14

Genus Neoscalpellum Pilsbry, 1907

Neoscalpellum Pilsbry, 1907a: 69 ; Newman & Ross, 1971: 96; Zevina, 1978b: 1346; Young, 2007: 16.

Diagnosis. Capitulum with 14 significantly reduced plates; tergum an inverted V-shape; scutum with basal margin notched and long apicolateral arm; upper latus bifid, umbo apical; carinal latus higher than wide, commonly bifurcate apically, umbo medial or sub-medial; inframedian latus slender, longer than wide, commonly bifurcate apically, with medial or sub-medial umbo; rostral latus longer than wide, with notched or bifurcate carinal margin; caudal appendage long, with four or more segments.

Type species. Scalpellum dicheloplax Pilsbry, 1907a .

Composition. Seven species.

Distribution. Worldwide. Known depth range 1600 to 6180 m.

Remarks. Scalpellum dicheloplax Pilsbry, 1907a is now considered to be a junior subjective synonym of Neoscalpellum debile ( Aurivillius, 1898) (see Young, 2007).

The species of this genus are not easily definable due to the extensive variability of plate size and shape. Zevina’s key (1981a), therefore, might not be reliable for accurate species identification. An alternative key was provided by Young (2007) based on more stable characters, such as the capitulum shape and the pattern of the peduncular plates.