Pelagic Goose Barnacle | Mexican Marine Life.org

Pelagic Goose Barnacle, Lepes anserifera

Pelagic Goose Barnacle, Lepes anserifera. Length: 3.8 cm (1.5 inches). Collection made off the beach in the greater Los Cabos area, Baja California Sur.

Pelagic Goose Barnacle, Lepes anserifera. Photograph of a goose barnacle attached to floating drift wood collected in coastal waters off Fort Lauderdale, Florida, February 2023. Photograph and identification courtesy of Faith Hubsch, Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Phylogeny: The Pelagic Goose Barnacle, Lepas (Lepas) anserifera (Linnaeus, 1767), is a member of the Lepadidae family of Goose Barnacles. The genus Lepas is one of four genera in this family, and there are eleven species in this genus. They are also known as the Rigid Goose Barnacle and in Mexico as Falso Percibe. Goose Barnacles get their name from the belief held by naturalists in the 1500’s that these barnacles turn into geese. Our understanding has improved since then, and we now know that they are crustaceans, the same as crabs and lobsters.

Morphology: Pelagic Goose Barnacles consist of a shell-like structure (capitulum) and a stalk (peduncle) that attaches the animal to a hard surface. The capitulum is made up of five plates made of chitin. Chitin is the substance that crab and lobster shells are made from. Contained within the capitulum are the head, thorax, and cirri (feathered legs). The head consist mostly of mouth parts. The plates open, similar to a clam shell, to allow the cirri to extend. The cirri function like gills to extract oxygen from the water. The capitulum is pearly white in color, becoming dull over time. It is triangular in outline and flatted laterally. The plates have fine radial ridges and are bordered with orange. The capitulum reaches 4.0 cm (1.6 inches) in length. The peduncle is strong and rubbery, with a leathery exterior. The peduncle is sculpted with raised ridges. The peduncle is orange to black in color. Fully extended, the stalk may reach 4.0 cm (1.6 inches) in length, but it is usually contracted.

Habitat and Distribution: Pelagic Goose Barnacles are found in the open ocean, attached to flotsam, mats of macro algae, ship hulls, or whales. They are often found in clusters of individuals. Most are found along the surface, but they can be found as deep as 4,160 m (13,645 feet). Pelagic Goose Barnacles are found worldwide, in tropical and temperate seas. In Mexican waters, they are found along the entirety of both coasts, though some sources say that they are absent from the northern half of the Gulf of California.

Diet: Pelagic Goose Barnacles are suspension feeders. They use their cirri to filter hydrozoans and other plankton from the surrounding water.

Predators: The Pelagic Goose Barnacles are preyed upon by sea birds, crabs, fish, and the Pelagic Sea Slug. Fiona pinnata.

Reproduction: Pelagic Goose Barnacles are simultaneous hermaphrodites (having both male and females reproductive organs). Reproduction is sexual, with one individual inserting its penis into the mantle cavity of a nearby individual. Self-fertilization does not occur and individuals widely separated from others are unable to reproduce. The eggs are brooded in the mantle cavity for only one week before being released as free-swimming nauplii. The larva undergo several molts before metamorphosing into their sessile form. They can reach sexual maturity in as little as thirty days.

Ecosystem Interactions: Pelagic Goose Barnacles are epibionts on marine life such as whales, turtles, and floating macro algae. They generally have limited impact on their hosts, but can, if their populations are too high, cause drag on their animal hosts. There are no documented cases of other commensal, parasitic, or symbiotic relationships for this species.

Human Interactions: Pelagic Goose Barnacles are harvested and eaten, as a delicacy, in many parts of the world. The stalk is the portion that is eaten. This species is also known for fouling ship hulls and other human infrastructure, frequently requiring mechanical removal. Pelagic Goose Barnacles have not been evaluated from a conservation perspective but they are common and have a very large geographic range so they should be considered to be of Least Concern.

Synonyms: Lepas anserifera.

Family Lepadidae- Goose Barnacles

in the Phylum Arthropoda, meaning that they have jointed legs. They are crustaceans,They begin life as a planktonic, shrimp-like larvae. When the larvae find the right spot, usually crowded in with many others of the same species, they attach to a hard surface and grow into an adult. Adult barnacles consist of a “shell” or capitulum. The capitulum is composed of 5-6 plates The plates are white in color and often become chalky over time. The plate complex can reach up to 5.0 cm (1.9”) in length. The capitulum is attached to the hard surface by a stalk (peduncle). The stalk is strong and rubbery, with either a leathery or scaly exterior. The stalk may reach up to 50 cm (19.7”).

Goose Barnacles may be found intertidally or subtidally along moderately exposed coastlines, or they may be found attached to ships, buoys, marine animals, and flotsam. When these items wash ashore the barnacles may be found by beach goers. Goose Barnacles feed on planktonic forms of copepods, amphipods, polychaete worms, mollusks, hydrozoans, algae, and detritus. While most Goose Barnacles are found in relatively shallow water, they can be found at depths of 4160 m (13,645’). Goose Barnacles are found worldwide in tropical and temperate seas. These barnacles are also referred to as Gooseneck Barnacles and Stalked Barnacles. There are 20 species in this Family. Eight species are found along the Pacific Coast of Mexico.

Pelagic Goose Barnacle, Rigid Goose Barnacle

Spanish-

Lepas (Anatifa) anserifera Linnaeus, 1767

They feed on. An alternate scientific name for this species is Lepas Anserifera Linnaeus, 1767.

<h3>Pelagic Goose Barnacle, Lepes anserifera</h3>
<img class=”aligncenter” src=”https://mexican-marine-life.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/M016-Pelagic-Goose-Barnacle-2-300×209.jpg” width=”400″ height=”279″ />

Pelagic Goose Barnacle, Lepas (Lepas) anserifera. Length: 3.8 cm (1.5 inches). Collection made off the beach in the greater Los Cabos area, Baja California Sur.

Pelagic Goose Barnacle, Lepas (Lepas) anserifera. Photograph of a goose barnacle attached to floating drift wood collected in coastal waters off Fort Lauderdale, Florida, February 2023. Photograph and identification courtesy of Faith Hubsch, Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Phylogeny: The Pelagic Goose Barnacle, Lepas (Lepas) anserifera Linnaeus, 1767, is a member of the Lepadidae family of Goose Barnacles. The genus Lepas is one of four genera in this family, and there are eleven species in this genus. This species is also known as the Rigid Goose Barnacle. In Mexico it is called Falso Percibe. Goose Barnacles get their name from the belief held by naturalists in the 1500’s that these barnacles turn into geese. Our understanding has improved since then, and we now know that they are crustaceans, the same as crabs and lobsters.

Morphology: Pelagic Goose Barnacles consist of a shell-like structure (capitulum) and a stalk (peduncle) that attaches the animal to a hard surface. The capitulum is made up of five plates made of chitin. Chitin is the substance that crab and lobster shells are made from. Contained within the capitulum are the head, thorax, and cirri (feathered legs). The head consist mostly of mouth parts. The plates open, similar to a clam shell, to allow the cirri to extend. The cirri function like gills to extract oxygen from the water. The capitulum is pearly white in color, becoming dull over time. It is triangular in outline and flatted laterally. The plates have fine radial ridges and are bordered with orange. The capitulum reaches 4 cm (1.6”) in length. The peduncle is strong and rubbery, with a leathery exterior. The peduncle is sculpted with raised ridges. The peduncle is orange to black in color. Fully extended, the stalk may reach 4 cm (1.6”) in length, but it is usually contracted.

Habitat and Distribution: Pelagic Goose Barnacles are found in the open ocean, attached to flotsam, mats of macro algae, ship hulls, or whales. They are often found in clusters of individuals. Most are found along the surface, but they can be found as deep as 4160 m (13,645 feet). Pelagic Goose Barnacles are found worldwide, in tropical and temperate seas. In Mexican waters, they are found along the entirety of both coasts, though some sources say that they are absent from the northern half of the Gulf of California.

Diet: Pelagic Goose Barnacles are suspension feeders. They use their cirri to filter hydrozoans and other plankton from the surrounding water.

Predators: Sea birds, fish, crabs, and the pelagic sea slug Fiona pinnata all prey on Pelagic Goose Barnacles.

Reproduction: Pelagic Goose Barnacles are simultaneous hermaphrodites (having both male and females reproductive organs). Reproduction is sexual, with one individual inserting its penis into the mantle cavity of a nearby individual. Self-fertilization does not occur and individuals widely separated from others are unable to reproduce. The eggs are brooded in the mantle cavity for only one week before being released as free-swimming nauplii. The larva undergo several molts before metamorphosing into their sessile form. They can reach sexual maturity in as little as 30 days.

Ecosystem Interactions: Pelagic Goose Barnacles are epibionts on marine life such as whales, turtles, and floating macro algae. They generally have limited impact on their hosts, but can, if their populations are too high, cause drag on their animal hosts. There are no documented cases of other parasitic, commensal, or symbiotic relationships for this species.

Human Interactions: Pelagic Goose Barnacles are harvested and eaten, as a delicacy, in many parts of the world. The stalk is the portion that is eaten. This species is also known for fouling ship hulls and other human infrastructure, frequently requiring mechanical removal. Pelagic Goose Barnacles have not been evaluated from a conservation perspective but they are common and have a very large geographic range so they should be considered to be of Least Concern.

Synonyms: Lepas anserifera.

Family Lepadidae- Goose Barnacles

Pelagic Goose Barnacle, Rigid Goose Barnacle

Spanish-

Lepas (Anatifa) anserifera Linnaeus, 1767

They feed on. An alternate scientific name for this species is Lepas Anserifera Linnaeus, 1767.