Barnacle Barnacle A barnacle is a type of arthropod constituting the infraclass Cirripedia in the subphylum Crustacea, and is hence related to crabs and lobsters. Barnacles are exclusively marine, and tend to live in shallow and tidal waters, typically in erosive settings. They are sessile (nonmotile) suspension feeders, and have two nektonic (active swimming) larval stages. Around 1,220 barnacle species are currently known. The name "Cirripedia" is Latin, meaning "curl-footed". The study of barnacles is called cirripedology. Barnacles are encrusters, attaching themselves permanently to a hard substrate. The most common, "acorn barnacles" (Sessilia), are sessile, growing their shells directly onto the
Ivory barnacle become planktonic. They pass through six naupliar stages and one cyprid stage over the course of one to two weeks. The nauplii feed on phytoplankton but the cyprid larvae do not feed. They search out sites for settlement, possibly following chemical cues from already established adults or testing the substrate for suitability. Once settled, they cement themselves by their heads to the surface and undergo metamorphosis into juvenile barnacles. Ivory barnacle Amphibalanus eburneus, the ivory barnacle, is a species of acorn barnacle in the family Balanidae. It occurs on the east coast of North America, the Caribbean Sea and Gulf