Balanus nubilis

The Giant Acorn Barnacle

Phylum Arthropoda
Subphylum Crustacea
Class Maxillopoda
Subclass Cirripedia
Order Thoracica
Family Balanidae
Genus Balanus
Species nubilis

Description: About 8 mm high and 11 mm wide; whitish in color; conical shape with a flat top; two pairs of plates at top with a gap between; top plates are without grooves.

Habitat: Found on pilings, rocks and hard shelled animals, almost strickly subtidal.

Natural History: B. nubilis is the only really large barnacle in the South Sound. The appendages are actually legs that can rotate 90 degrees and can easily be seen capturing plankton from the water. The stomach makes up most of its body.