Striped Barnacle (Balanus amphitrite)
Striped Barnacle (Balanus amphitrite)
Common name: striped barnacle
Scientific name: Balanus amphitrite
Locations: “glued” to pilings, floats, rocks, boats, sea creatures of the intertidal zone
Seasonality: available all year
Colors: off-white, purple stripes
Size: 1/2″ – 3/4″
Collected: by hand
Quantity: sold by the group on a rock
Tidepool Tim says, “The purple stripes on these stand out among rock barnacles. The striped plates covering the animal are called capitulum plates. Its moving opercular lid has two triangular halves that flex open and allow emergence of feeding legs. These barnacles attach directly to rocks, boats, animals, pilings, and other solid surfaces with incredible strength with the cement-like substance they produce.