Perforatus perforatus (Bruguière, 1789)

Description

Perforatus perforatus is a cirripedia with a base reaching 3 cm in diameter and up to 5 cm for deeper specimens. The external plates are vertically ribbed. Their pointed ends as well as the conical organization of the plates evoke the form of a small volcano. They are greyish with shades of purple or pink. The operculum that closes the upper aperture is depressed inside the cone formed by the plates. This operculum consists of two pairs of movable plates that open to allow the cirri out so that the barnacle could catch food. In case of emergency or during emersed periods, the operculum is kept hermetically closed thanks to a brown or purple flap with blue and white patches. The common barnacle generally lives in groups attached to rocks or immersed structures such as ships' bottom.

Distribution

Perforatus perforatus is found from surface to 20 meters deep in the Atlantic Ocean from West Africa to Wales, in the English Channel and in the Mediterranean Sea.

How to cite this page

Bay-Nouailhat W., Bay-Nouailhat A., March 2007, Description of Perforatus perforatus, [On line] https://www.european-marine-life.org/24/perforatus-perforatus.php, consulted on 2025 September 15.