Taiwan is a large island in north western Pacific waters with the sea floor connecting to two major deep-sea basins, the eastern waters facing the Pacific Ocean (to 4000 m depth) and linking to the Philippine Basin, whilst south western waters are associated with the South China Sea Basin (up to 1000 m). Previously, the biodiversity of Taiwanese deep-sea barnacles had not been studied extensively, due to a lack of deep-sea expeditions and sampling. Recently, several TAIWAN deep-sea cruises investigated the biodiversity of the deep-sea fauna of Taiwan and sampling was conducted to depths of 4000 m. The present study reports on the biodiversity of the deep-sea barnacles of Taiwan, a total of 18 species. One species was previously recorded from Taiwanese waters and 17 are new records, including two new species belong to the genera Litoscalpellum and Altiverruca.

The Titan Acorn barnacle, Megabalanus coccopoma, a native of the tropical eastern Pacific, has become established in the western Atlantic (Brazil and the northern Gulf of Mexico to the Carolinas), northwestern Europe and the western Indian Ocean (Mauritius), and therefore its dispersal capabilities are well known. This study reports its introduction to Japan and confirms its occurrence in Australia. In an attempt to determine the source of this introduction, phylogeographic techniques, involving cytochrome c oxidase I sequences of various widely separate populations of M. rosa and M. volcano, were utilized. No significant genetic differentiation or haplotype patterns between widely separated populations of each of the three species were found. Lack of such differentiation indicates recent geographical isolation and thus negates a null hypothesis predicting that the occurrence of one of more of these species in Australia was natural.

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The occurrence and diversity of barnacles attached to the hulls of two intercontinental bulk carriers were studied at the port in Osaka Bay, Japan, to assess the potential risk of introduction of exotic species to the inner part of the bay. Barnacles were sampled from the bulbous bows, near the midship draft marks, and around the propeller posts and rudders. Twenty-two species were found, with 14 of these not previously recorded in Osaka Bay, including four species not previously recorded elsewhere in Japan. From an assessment of environmental similarity between Osaka Bay and native ranges, of the 14 species, Elminius modestus and Amphibalanus variegatus were considered to have the highest risk of introduction to the inner part of the bay.