Monday, August 14, 2023

Nestled among the branchlets

 
We looked down to see this interesting seaweed on the beach today Cumagloia andersonii.  It usually doesn't have little white specks on it, so we took a closer look.  Below you can see a hint of what's attached to it:

 
These are juvenile pelagic gooseneck barnacles (Lepas sp.).  That means it's likely the seaweed has been drifting offshore for a while (long enough for planktonic barnacles to find it, settle, and start to grow).  Although we often see Lepas attached to drift kelp, I couldn't recall seeing Lepas on Cumagloia before, so took a few documentary photos.  
 
Here's an even closer photo where you can see the barnacles nestled among the branchlets of the seaweed:

 
P.S.  Ocean temperatures off Bodega Head have been quite warm this week up to ~16°C or >60°F.  It'll be interesting to keep an eye on these temperatures during the next couple of months.

1 comment:

  1. Was at Dillon Beach this weekend and noticed lots of neutral-colored triangles on a bull kelp in the wrack:  at the base of the fronds where they connect to the float.  Looked close and it was baby gooseneck barnacles… jewelry!

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