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Striped Barnacle

Amphibalanus amphitrite

Summary 2

Amphibalanus amphitrite is a species of acorn barnacle in the Balanidae family. Its common names include the striped barnacle, the purple acorn barnacle and Amphitrite's rock barnacle. It is found in warm and temperate waters worldwide.

Size 3

The maximum basal length of Balanus amphitrite is reported to be around 20 mm (Anderson 1986, Cohen 2005).Research conducted in the Mediterranean suggests a mean lifespan of 77 days and a maximum lifespan of 1.26-1.40 years, and a somewjhat longer mean lifespan of 22 months and maximum lifespan of 5-6 years in South Africa and Argentina (Calcagno et al. 1997, 1998).

Look alikes 4

The native ivory barnacle (Balanus eburneus) is somewhat similar in appearance but the white plates lack stripes and it is slightly larger (9.5-24.5 mm) than Balanus amphitrite. B. amphitrtie is also larger than the star barnacle Chthamalus stellatus Two other probable non-native congeners, B. reticulatus and B. trigonus, are also common in Florida fouling communities, but the striped barnacle can be readily distinguished from these (Carlton and Ruckelshaus 1997). The non-native barnacle Megabalanus coccopoma, recently discovered in Florida waters, has plates that are distinctly pink in color and is considerably larger than the other acorn barnacles found in Florida.

Reproduction 5

Like most balanomorph barnacles, Balanus amphitrite is hermaphroditic. Reproductive individuals are general capable of simultaneous production of male and female gametes. However, outcrossing with neighboring individuals, occuring through the deposit of sperm into the mantle cavities of adjacent animals via a long intromittent tube and subsequent internal fertilization of eggs, is the general rule. Self-fertilization is also reported to occur, however (Charnov 1987, Furman and Yule 1990, El-Komi and Kajihara 1991, Desai et al 2006).Spawning seasonality varies by location. B. amphitrite populations in temperate areas exhibit spawning peaks in the spring and/or summer, while those in more subtropical areas may spawn throughout the year (Costlow and Bookhout 1958, Pillai, 1958, Egan and Anderson 1986).Individuals reach reproductive maturity at around 5.0 mm in length (Egan and Anderson 1986). Individuals can release 1,000-10,000 eggs/ brood and produce as many as 24 broods/year (El-Komi and Kajihara 1991).

Links to Access Genomic Data 6

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/Taxonomy/Browser/wwwtax.cgi?id=1232801&lvl=0

Sources and Credits

  1. no rights reserved, uploaded by Al Kordesch
  2. Adapted by matbio from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amphibalanus_amphitrite
  3. Adapted by matbio from a work by (c) Smithsonian Marine Station at Fort Pierce, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/11525669
  4. Adapted by matbio from a work by (c) Smithsonian Marine Station at Fort Pierce, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/11525666
  5. Adapted by matbio from a work by (c) Smithsonian Marine Station at Fort Pierce, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/11525668
  6. (c) Emily Rose Sharkey, all rights reserved

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