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Northern Rock Barnacle
Barnacle
Northern Rock Barnacle
Semibalanus balanoides (Linnaeus, 1767)
WoRMS AphialID
106210
Sample IDs
HMSC174-00510 https://bench.boldsystems.org/index.php/MAS_DataRetrieval_OpenSpecimen?selectedrecordid=ATCAR079-23
Collected
Basin NS, ponar grab collection of pebbles, 12 m depth.
Distinguishing Features
• Shell: 6 white plates, the shape varies from a low ribbed cone to a more fragile lengthened smooth form depending on environment, the rostral plate overlaps adjacent platesplates, and the carina plate is overlapped by adjacent plates.
• Base: membranous and tubiferous.
• Scutum: no long striations, broad, quite smooth and with a callus bellow the articular ridge
• Tergum: the carinal margin is smaller than the scutal margin, it is rounded distally with a short spur and is articulated.
• Size: to 30 mm in diameter.
Profile: pyramid-shaped with a diamond-shaped opening.
Habitat
Grows on wood, rocks and shells, often in dense columnar masses, 0-25 m depth, common intertidally.
Geographic Range
Amphi-Altantic and east Pacific distribution, on the Atlantic coast of North America it is found from the Arctic to Cape Hatteras.
Fun Fact
Adults need to release larvae during the spring phytoplankton bloom to maximize larval survival. When the bloom starts and they ingest phytoplankton, adult barnacless release a hatching chemical. This makes their brooded embryos twitch rapidly until they break the egg membrane and are released.
Barcode Distribution
Amphi-Atlantic BIN containing specimens from the Arctic to the Mediterranean and Virginia.
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