The Chthamalidae are a family of chthamaloid barnacles, living entirely in intertidal/subtidal habitats, characterized by a primary shell wall of eight, six, or four plates, lacking imbricating plate whorls, and either membraneous or more rarely calcareous basis. They are not found below immediate subtidal habitats, and more likely are found in the highest tier of shallow-water barnacle fauna. They can be found in the most rigorous wave-washed locations, and some species are found in the surf zone above high tide mark, only receiving water from wave action at high tide.
Whale barnacles are species of acorn barnacle that belong to the subfamily Coronulinae, family Coronulidae. They typically attach to baleen whales, and sometimes settle on toothed whales. The whale barnacles diverged from the turtle barnacles about three million years ago.
Balanus crenatus is a species of acorn barnacle in the Balanidae family. It is found in the North Pacific and the North Atlantic Ocean.
Notochthamalus scabrosus, the only species in the genus Notochthamalus, is a species of barnacle found along the south-western and south-eastern coasts of South America, from Peru to the Falkland Islands. The species is found almost exclusively higher in the intertidal zone than the mussel Perumytilus, often codistributed with the confamilial barnacle Chthamalus cirratus and Balanus flosculus.
Chelonibia is a genus of acorn barnacles in the monotypic family Chelonibiidae of the subphylum Crustacea. Its members are epizootic and live attached to manatees, turtles, marine molluscs, crabs and horseshoe crabs in all tropical and subtropical oceans. In a few instances, they have been found on sea snakes, alligators and inanimate substrates, but they are not found in the typical habitats of barnacles – on rocks, docks or boats.
The subfamily Notochthamalinae Foster and Newman, 1987, was proposed for members of the barnacle family Chthamalidae with elongated scuta and very narrow terga deeply interlocked, sometimes concrescent. Shell plates may become concrescent with age in some species. Soft part characters include card setae on some or all of cirri I to III, and mandible with or without combed lower edge. Poltarukha made further revisions in 1996.
The Chthamaloidea are a subdivision of Balanomorpha proposed by Newman and Ross to include barnacles with shell wall composed of rostrum, carina, and one to three pairs of latera, rarely supplemented with one or more whorls of basal imbricating plates. The rostrolatus enters the sheath, but rarely fuses with the rostrum, as in the three higher superfamilies. Shell plates are simple in construction, solid, and incorporate organic chitin between carbonate layers. Opercular plates are deeply interlocked, and in some genera, may become concrescent with age. Soft part morphology includes concave labrum without notch in the central part. Cirrus III more resembles Cirrus IV than II, or may be intermediate in structure. Caudal appendages present in some species.
Pseudoctomeris sulcatus is a species of barnacle, the only member of the genus Pseudoctomeris. It has an eight-plated shell wall with the rostrum partially fused with adjacent rostrolatera. The suture lines are visible only from the inside, thus in exterior view, the shell appears to have six wall plates. The basis is calcareous. Opercular plates are higher than wide, and not deeply articulated. These features and others, show greater relationship to family Pachylasmatidae. Taxonomic revision of Pachylasmatidae may warrant transfer of Pseudoctomeris to that family.
The Catophragmidae are a family of barnacles in the superfamily Chthamaloidea with eight shell wall plates, surrounded by several whorls of imbricating plates. The basis is membranous.
Catomerus is a monotypic genus of intertidal/shallow water acorn barnacle that is found in warm temperate waters of Australia. The genus and species is very easily identified by whorls of small plates surrounding the base of the primary shell wall; no other shoreline barnacle species in the Southern Hemisphere has that feature. This species is considered to be a relic, as these plates are found only in primitive living lineages of acorn barnacles or in older fossil species. The fact that this is an intertidal species is unusual, because living primitive relic species are often found in more isolated habitats such as deep ocean basins and abyssal hydrothermal vents.
Catophragmus is the originally named genus of the family Catophragmidae. At present, it is monotypical. It is a shallow water acorn barnacle of the Tropical Western Atlantic and Caribbean characterized by small accessory imbricating plates surrounding the base of the shell wall.
The subfamily Euraphiinae was erected by Newman & Ross36 to formalize the "Group of Chthamalus hembeli of Nilsson-Cantell. As originally used in Newman & Ross, it comprised the genera Euraphia and Octomeris. In 1996, Poltarukha revised the subfamily Notochthamalinaea, and removed Octomeris to that position. In 1997 and 2000, he revised the Euraphiinae. There have been no further revisions.
Chamaesipho is a genus of four-plated notochthamaline barnacles in the Pacific Ocean limited to Australian/New Zealand temperate waters. They are intertidal in preference, and tend to form crowded columnar colonies. They can be identified in the field by having a four-plated wall, an unfused rostrum, and narrow opercular plates. Elminius, which also inhabits the same area, has four plates in its shell wall. However, in Elminius, the rostrum and rostrolatera are fused completely, and the compound rostrum receives the alae of the adjacent carinolaterals. In Chamaesipho, the unfused rostrum bears alae, and closely resembles the carina in appearance.
Chamaesipho brunnea is an intertidal barnacle common in New Zealand, in both the North Island and the South Island. Juveniles have six shell wall plates, reducing to four in adults, and with age, all plates become concrescent, with no trace of sutures inside or out. Shell is brown colored. The related, and sometimes associated Chamaesipho columna is much smaller in size, by nearly half, while Elminius, which can associate with both species, also has four shell wall plates, but plates remain distinct at all stages. The shell of C. columna corrodes to a pitted surface, while that of C. brunnea has a lamellar corrosion.
Chamaesipho tasmanica is an intertidal shoreline barnacle of Australia. Its principal range centers in New South Wales, and Tasmania. Columnar colonies can be found on high intertidal rocks relatively free of dense seaweed. Individuals are small, less than 15 mm, and grayish in color.
Chamaesipho grebneffi is the first extinct member of the Notochthamalinae to be described, and the oldest chthamaloid barnacle known. This species is a fully derived Chamaesipho, and indicates a considerable antiquity for Chthamaloidea.
Rehderella belyaevi is an unusual and monotypic barnacle genus restricted to Easter Island and Pitcairn Island. Two other barnacle species are found in the intertidal zone of these islands. Euraphia devaneyi is much larger, and possesses calcareous basis. Tesseropora sp. has four shell plates with a single row of pores in shell wall. Both Euraphia and Rehderella have six shell wall plates. Rehderella differs from both in its membraneous basis and fusion of opercular plates on each side.
The barnacle genus Nesochthamalus was erected by Foster & Newman, 1987, to include sole species Chthamalus intertextus originally named by Darwin in 1854. It is widespread on islands in Western Pacific Ocean, including Hawaii, and presents combinations of unusual features which make easily recognizable for field workers. These include dirty white shell exterior with deep purple colored interior, operculars colored purple. Opercular plates on each side calcify together in all but youngest individuals, and cannot be separated or easily distinguished from each other. This feature is shared only by Rehderella belyaevi, but in latter species, scutum and tergum can be distinguished by raised ridge replacing old articular margin. Unique feature of Nesochthamalus is its basis. In young individuals, it is entirely membraneous, and with age, becomes secondarily calcareous progressively inwards, leaving only the center membraneous. As the basis calcifies, it rises off the substrate forming a saucer shape when viewed from the side. In addition, interior of shell is secondarily calcified.
Coronula diadema is a species of whale barnacle that lives on the skin of humpback whales and certain other species of whale. This species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in the 1767 12th edition of his Systema Naturae.
Vulcanolepas osheai, commonly referred to as O'Shea's vent barnacle, is a stalked barnacle of the family Eolepadidae. This species is endemic to New Zealand.
