Abstract
The acorn barnacle is a sessile crustacean, inhabiting the intertidal areas of tropical and temperate regions worldwide. According to current practices on Cirripedia morphology, shell, opercular valves, and arthropodal characters including cirri and mouthparts are used as a tool for taxonomic classification, and using these characteristics the present study aimed to provide better resolution for the barnacle diversity and geographical distribution within coastlines of Thailand: the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand. A total of ten species belonging to three families (Chthamalidae, Tetraclitidae, and Balanidae) were identified in this study. Subsequently, five species were newly recorded for the first time from Thailand’s coasts: Newmanella spinosus Chan & Cheang, 2016, Euraphia hembeli Conrad, 1837, Euraphia depressa (Poli, 1795), Tetraclita kuroshioensis Chan, Tsang & Chu, 2007, and Tetraclita singaporensis Chan, Tsang & Chu, 2007. The others, already mentioned in previous records, include: Tetraclita squamosa (Bruguière, 1789), Chthamalus malayensis Pilsbry, 1916, Amphibalanus amphitrite (Darwin, 1854), Amphibalanus reticulatus (Utinomi, 1967), and Megabalanus tintinnabulum (Linnaeus, 1758). Interestingly, acorn barnacles along the Andaman Sea occur abundantly, and are much higher in number of species (up to 8 species) than those found in the Gulf of Thailand’s coast (up to 6 species). This biased trend of species’ preferences is possibly due to the differences in oceanographic nature between two coastlines and the history of barnacle colonization.
Highlights
Acorn barnacles, a member of marine crustaceans, inhabit a diverse array of substrates along intertidal zones of temperate and tropical coastlines worldwide, as sessile form throughout their adulthood (Frith et al 1976; Sophia Rani et al 2010; Brickner and Høeg 2010; Brickner et al 2010; Chen et al 2012; Hayashi 2013; Chen et al 2014; Yu et al 2016)
We examine geographical distribution of sessile acorn barnacles along Thai Peninsular coastal areas including the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman Sea
At least ten different forms of acorn barnacles were diagnosed so far that are classified into 6 genera and 3 families (Chthamalidae, Tetraclitidae and Balanidae), which can be distinguished based on their external shell morphology, including pattern of parietes, opercular plates, and arthropodal characters as described in previous literatures (Ross and Perreault 1999; Chan 2001; Chan et al 2007a, b; Chan et al 2009; Lozano-Cortés and Londoño-Cruz 2013; Chen et al 2014; Hayashi and Chan 2015; Chan and Cheang 2016)
Summary
A member of marine crustaceans, inhabit a diverse array of substrates (e.g. calcareous rock or limestone, mollusk shells, corals, sponges, mangrove roots, turtle shells, and whale skins) along intertidal zones of temperate and tropical coastlines worldwide, as sessile form throughout their adulthood (Frith et al 1976; Sophia Rani et al 2010; Brickner and Høeg 2010; Brickner et al 2010; Chen et al 2012; Hayashi 2013; Chen et al 2014; Yu et al 2016) It is known as a marine fouling or biofouling organism and it has been considered as a problematic or invasive species for oyster farming, aquaculture, the reforestation of mangrove swamps, and for the support structures of offshore oil rig platforms and ship transport (Santhakumaran and Sawant 1991; Rawangkul et al 1995; Molnar et al 2008; Sophia Rani et al 2010; Holm 2012).
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