Barnacle
Sign in to saveBarnacles are arthropods of the subclass Cirripedia in the subphylum Crustacea. They are related to crabs and lobsters, with similar nauplius larvae. Barnacles are exclusively marine invertebrates; many species live in shallow and tidal waters. Some 2,100 species have been described.
AI overview
Barnacles are small marine animals related to crabs and lobsters that live attached to rocks, ships, and other surfaces in ocean waters around the world. They matter because they are abundant in coastal ecosystems, can affect human infrastructure like ships and docks, and provide insights into ocean life as one of about 2,100 known species in this group.
AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- taxon
- Parent taxon
- Thecostraca
- Image
- Pouces-pieds Quiberon.JPG
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Article
28 sectionsContents
- Etymology
- Description
- Anatomy and physiology
- Life cycle
- Nauplius larva
- Cypris larva
- Adult
- Sexual reproduction
- Ecology
- Filter feeding
- Species-specific zones
- Parasitism
- Competitors
- Predators and parasites
- History of taxonomy
- Evolution
- Fossil record
- Phylogeny
- Taxonomy
- Relationship with humans
- Biofouling
- As food
- Technological applications
- In culture
- References
- Sources
- Further reading
- External links
Barnacles are arthropods of the subclass Cirripedia in the subphylum Crustacea. They are related to crabs and lobsters, with similar nauplius larvae. Barnacles are exclusively marine invertebrates; many species live in shallow and tidal waters. Some 2,100 species have been described.
Barnacle adults are sessile; most are suspension feeders with hard calcareous shells, but the Rhizocephala are specialized parasites of other crustaceans, with reduced bodies. Barnacles have existed since at least the mid-Carboniferous, some 325 million years ago.