Inter-tidal Cirripede [Cirripedia: Thecostraca] diversity in Goa: three new records

Barnacles [Cirripedia: Thecostraca] are among the most biologically diverse and ecologically important marine crustaceans, commonly encountered in the inter-tidal and benthic habitats. Adult barnacles are sessile and can either be epibionts or foulers. The marine fauna of Goa, a coastal state on the west coast of India, is not well represented in general. Of the ca. 144 species of barnacles, distributed among 75 genera and 19 families, reported to be present on the coasts of India, only five species from Goa have been identified so far.
The paucity of information and the dearth of data pertaining to the diversity and distribution of barnacles propelled the current study, which aimed at providing a preliminary account of barnacles along the Goan coast. Species diagnosis was mainly based on arthropodal characterization. A total of six cirripedes distributed among three families (Lepadidae, Chthamalidae, and Balanidae) and four genera arereported in the present study. Among these, three species constitute the first records from Goa. The only gooseneck barnacle recorded in the present study was found to be attached to the washed ashore debris on a sandy coastline. All acorn barnacles were recorded in rocky inter-tidal habitats, and a few individuals were found to colonize plastics lodged in rock crevices.