Xenobalanus globicipitis is a species of pseudo-stalked barnacle.[1] It is usually spotted on the appendages of at least 34 species of cetaceans, commonly baleen whales and bottlenose dolphins. This species is not technically a true stalked barnacle, hence the 'pseudo' in its name.[2]
| Xenobalanus globicipitis | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Thecostraca |
| Subclass: | Cirripedia |
| Order: | Balanomorpha |
| Family: | Coronulidae |
| Genus: | Xenobalanus |
| Species: | X. globicipitis
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| Binomial name | |
| Xenobalanus globicipitis Steenstrup, 1852
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Description
editThe creature is dark in coloration and up to 5 cm (2.0 in) long.[3] It hangs from tails, dorsal fins, flippers, and less commonly rostrums and baleen plates/teeth. In a sample population of the dolphin Stenella coeruleoalba, by far the most frequent site of occurrence were the flukes.[4] This animal is native to tropical, subtropical, and temperate waters around the world. It can cluster in various amounts, from one to one hundred, depending on the size and the animal and where on it they've adhered. These creatures are "sessile" — once they latch on with the shell base, they don't move off unless they need to (for example, if the water gets too cold for them).[2] They burrow themselves into the skin and blubber of their host, though they are not technically parasitic and instead engage in phoresis.
Feeding
editX. globicipitis takes advantage of the migratory movements of marine mammals, using their motion and location to feed on plankton without having to do the locomotion themselves.[2] It feeds through suspension techniques.[5]
References
edit- ^ "Pseudo-stalked Barnacle (Xenobalanus globicipitis)". iNaturalist. Retrieved 2024-05-06.
- ^ a b c "Identification Complication: Ephemeral Associations between Pseudo-Stalked Barnacles and Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphins". Cape May Whale Watch & Research Center. Retrieved 2024-05-06.
- ^ Carwardine, Mark (2022). Field Guide to Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises. Bloomsbury Naturalist Ser. London: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc. p. 59. ISBN 978-1-4729-6997-2.
- ^ Carrillo, Juan M.; Overstreet, Robin M.; Raga, Juan A.; Aznar, Francisco J. (2015-06-17). "Living on the Edge: Settlement Patterns by the Symbiotic Barnacle Xenobalanus globicipitis on Small Cetaceans". PLOS ONE. 10 (6): e0127367. Bibcode:2015PLoSO..1027367C. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0127367. ISSN 1932-6203. PMC 4470508. PMID 26083019.
- ^ Inkrote, Emily. "Seasonality of Xenobalanus Globicipitis presence on Coastal Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in the Northern Outer Banks of North Carolina" (PDF). Outer Banks Center for Dolphin Research. Retrieved May 6, 2024.
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