Tetraclita stalactifera

(Lamarck, 1818)

Volcano Barnacles

Range: Eastern Pacific Ocean, Gulf of Mexico and Western Atlantic Ocean.

Size: 2 inches (3 cm)

Natural Environment: Found attached to rock, wood pilings, floating material and other hard-based substrate.

Aquarium Suitability: Even though not purposely collected for the trade, this is a very common rock-dwelling species and quite similar to those found in many other worldwide locations at low tide. Can actually fair quite well out of water for long periods of time, such as in-between tidal flows.

Even though a harmless species, its basically unsuitable for average home aquariums due to its need for a constant supply of plankton and turbulent water movement to survive, which would result in an extremely high nutrient level, very possibly leading to unwanted algae problems.

Best suited to a 'species' system designed with major filtration equipment so as to maintain water quality!

Similar to attached photo.

Taxonomy: Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Arthropoda

Subphylum: Crustacea

Class: Maxillopoda

Subclass: Thecostraca

Infraclass: Cirripedia (Curl-footed)

Superorder: Thoracica

Order: Sessilia

Superfamily: Tetraclitoidea

Family: Tetraclitidae