Growth and breeding of a primitive stalked barnacle Leucolepas longa (Cirripedia: Scalpellomorpha: Eolepadidae: Neolepadinae) inhabiting a volcanic seamount off Papua New Guinea

Abstract

A pedunculate barnacle, Leucolepas longa, occurs in densities over 1000 individuals m 72 on the summit of a small seamount near New Ireland, Papua New Guinea. Most of the population grows on vesicomyid clams projecting from sulphide-rich sediments, or on their dead shells, but the barnacle also settles on rock and on tubes of a vestimentiferan. Collections of several hundred barnacles allowed comparison of population and reproductive characteristics. The barnacle is a suspension feeder with a lightly-armoured stalk that can grow to 40 cm above the bottom. Growth appears to be rapid and both reproduction and recruitment are continuous. The barnacles brood egg masses within the capitular chamber and 46% of one sample was brooding. Lecithotrophic nauplii released upon retrieval to the surface were cultivated for 45 days. Metamorphosis to Stage IV yielded an actively swimming larva about 1mm long overall, which still contained lipid reserves, indicating capacity for wide dispersal.

Spatial patterns of larval abundance at hydrothermal vents on seamounts: evidence for recruitment limitation

“…However, the consistency between the 2 experiments (using slightly different containers) and among batches of larvae for 1 of the species, and the difference in temporal patterns between the 2 species, support the general pattern that larvae tend to remain near the bottom in the absence of any cues. Additionally, similar to the patterns I observed for gastropods, the released nauplii of the stalked barnacle Leucolepas longa from a volcanic seamount in Papua New Guinea did not show phototaxis, 3 d after hatching they were swimming near the bottom of the experimental containers, and they became negatively buoyant within 6 d (Tunnicliffe & Southward 2004). As further evidence in situ, at East Diamante, gastropod veligers and protoconchs were extremely abundant (100s to 1000s of individuals) in a suction sample collected from the seafloor and at the same location as the dacite rock that held the egg capsules.…”

Origin and phylogeny of verrucomorph barnacles (Crustacea, Cirripedia, Thoracica)

“…However, if the supposed latera in Neoverruca are actually just peduncular scales, the similarities with neolepadids are much closer; an upper latus is generated first, then peduncular scales are added at the base of the capitulum, exactly as in neolepadids ( Fig. 11; compare Tunnicliffe & Southward 2004). These observations are supported by the similarity of cyprid larvae of Neoverruca with those of the neolepadid Ashinkailepas, and their dissimilarity with those of verrucids (Jens Hoeg pers.…”

“…The morphology of Neoverruca individuals with tall capitula is strikingly similar to that of juvenile neolepadids such as Leucolepas longa (e.g. compareTunnicliffe & Southward 2004, fig. 17EÀG, with Newman 1989 fig.…”

First record of Protomystides hatsushimaensis (Annelida: Phyllodocidae) inhabiting vacant tubes of vestimentiferan tubeworms

“…Vestimentiferan tubeworms (Annelida: Siboglinidae) often play an important role in chemosynthetic ecosystems by providing microhabitats for other organisms (Govenar et al, 2005). Their chitinous tubes are used as substrata for colonization of sessile organisms, such as actiniarians (Desbruyères et al, 2006), barnacles (Tunnicliffe & Southward, 2004), bivalves (Järnegren et al, 2005), foraminiferans (Sen Gupta et al, 2007), limpets (McLean, 1993), polyps of jellyfishes (Miyake et al, 2004), sponges (Maldonado & Young, 1998), and stoloniferans (Becker et al, 2013). In addition, many organisms aggregate around the vestimentiferan tubes: annelids, cephalopods, zoarcid fishes, pantopods, and shrimps (Desbruyères et al, 2006).…”