Intertidal Invertebrates of the Monterey Bay Area, California

Compiled & photographed by Gary McDonald, Long Marine Laboratory, University of California, Santa Cruz
Pollicipes polymerus Sowerby, 1833               
Leaf Barnacle
Arthropoda: Crustacea: Maxillopoda: Thecostraca: Cirripedia: Thoracica: Pedunculata: Scalpellomorpha: Pollicipedidae
Geographic Range: British Columbia, Canada to Punta Abreojos, Baja California, Mexico. Synonyms: Mitella polymerus
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Pollicipes_polymerus_0005.jpg
Carmel Pt., Monterey Co., CA; 16 Feb 2008.

Description: Capitular plates whitish to greyish-white, more than 5 in number and surrounded basally by smaller imbricating plates. Attached to the substrate by tough peduncle which has a rough texture.
Size: Live in large clusters, the individuals may be up to 8 cm in length.
Notes: Common in the middle intertidal zone on rocky shores, often found with the mussel Mytilus californianus.
Pollicipes_polymerus_0002.jpg
Carmel Pt., Monterey Co., CA; 25 Nov 2007.		 Pollicipes_polymerus_0007.jpg
Carmel Pt., Monterey Co., CA; 16 Feb 2008.

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