Megabalanus tintinnabulum
| Megabalanus tintinnabulum | |
|---|---|
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| A group of empty shells | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Crustacea |
| Class: | Maxillopoda |
| Infraclass: | Cirripedia |
| Order: | Sessilia |
| Family: | Balanidae |
| Genus: | Megabalanus |
| Species: | M. tintinnabulum |
| Binomial name | |
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Megabalanus tintinnabulum (Linnaeus, 1758) |
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| Synonyms | |
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Balanus tintinnabulum Linnaeus, 1758 |
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Balanus tintinnabulum Linnaeus, 1758
Megabalanus tintinnabulum is a species of large barnacle in the family Balanidae. It is the type species of the genus. The specific name comes from the Latin meaning a handbell and probably refers to the fact that small groups of barnacles resemble clusters of miniature bells.
When Carl Linnaeus first described this species in 1758, he named it Balanus tintinnabulum. The lectotype was depicted by Georg Eberhard Rumphius in 1705, the type locality being Ambon, Indonesia. In a monograph on barnacles in 1854, Charles Darwin described the species as being very variable and assigned it to Section A of the genus Balanus, characterised by having the parietes, basis, and radii (different plates in the shell wall) permeated by minute pores. In 1916, Henry Augustus Pilsbry elevated Balanus tintinnabulum to subspecies rank and in subsequent years a number of varieties were described. Later it was placed in the subgenus Megabalanus and in 1976, Newman and Ross elevated Megabalanus to generic rank, giving species rank to each of the 22 subspecies of what had previously been known as Balanus (Megabalanus) tintinnabulum.
Megabalanus tintinnabulum is a large barnacle, barrel shaped or narrowly conical, up to 5 centimetres (2 in) tall and 6.5 cm (2.6 in) in diameter. It is distinguished from other members of the genus by having ungrooved growth ridges on the scutum and by the parietes having no spines or spiny projections. The parietes can be either rough or smooth, and they are sometimes slightly folded. The basal margin of the shell is either straight or slightly sinuous. The colour is a pale shade of reddish or bluish purple, sometimes streaked longitudinally with a darker or lighter shade and sometimes with transverse bands of colour.
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