Javier Couper (Predomalpha), New Zealand
Info
Austrominius modestus Darwin, 1854
Barnacles are not mussels, but belong to the crustaceans, more precisely to the barnacles (Cirripedia). This barnacle originally comes from Australian and New Zealand waters and was first brought to British waters, probably on ship hulls to Europe.
Austrominius modestus is a small species of barnacle, 5 to 10 mm in diameter, characterized by having only 4 calcareous plates. The body shape is low and conical with a large diamond-shaped opening. In young barnacles, the plates are smooth and the lower edge has a depression in the middle. The plates of older individuals have pronounced vertical ridges, giving these barnacles an irregular, roughly circular edge. Young specimens have an opalescent gray-white color, while adults become a solid gray-brown and eroded.
The Global Invasive Species Database lists this barnacle as an invasive species.
There are several factors that support success as a foreign invader:
Austrominius modestus larval stages are eurythermal and euryhaline, so the larvae survive in large numbers. The barnacle is also a very fertile species with a short generation time and is also very tolerant of different salt levels in the sea
Synonyms:
Elminius modestus Darwin, 1854
Elminius sinuatus Hutton, 1879
Barnacles are not mussels, but belong to the crustaceans, more precisely to the barnacles (Cirripedia). This barnacle originally comes from Australian and New Zealand waters and was first brought to British waters, probably on ship hulls to Europe.
Austrominius modestus is a small species of barnacle, 5 to 10 mm in diameter, characterized by having only 4 calcareous plates. The body shape is low and conical with a large diamond-shaped opening. In young barnacles, the plates are smooth and the lower edge has a depression in the middle. The plates of older individuals have pronounced vertical ridges, giving these barnacles an irregular, roughly circular edge. Young specimens have an opalescent gray-white color, while adults become a solid gray-brown and eroded.
The Global Invasive Species Database lists this barnacle as an invasive species.
There are several factors that support success as a foreign invader:
Austrominius modestus larval stages are eurythermal and euryhaline, so the larvae survive in large numbers. The barnacle is also a very fertile species with a short generation time and is also very tolerant of different salt levels in the sea
Synonyms:
Elminius modestus Darwin, 1854
Elminius sinuatus Hutton, 1879
