Epizoic
Guides
Conchoderma auritum
rabbit-ear barnacle
Conchoderma auritum, commonly known as the rabbit-ear barnacle, is a pedunculate barnacle in the family Lepadidae. It is primarily known as a whale-associated barnacle, attaching to the shells of other barnacle species such as Coronula diadema on cetaceans. The species has also been documented on large pelagic fish including black marlin, representing a non-mammalian host association. It possesses distinctive tubular ear-shaped structures on the capitulum and feeds using short, thick-segmented cirri adapted for strong currents.
Coronulidae
Whale Barnacles
Coronulidae is a family of barnacles (Cirripedia) commonly known as whale barnacles, though their host associations extend beyond cetaceans to include sea turtles and crocodilians. Members are obligate epizoic species that attach to mobile marine hosts during their free-swimming larval stage. The family includes the genus Chelonibia, which exhibits exclusively passive feeding behavior—a unique trait among barnacles where the species relies entirely on host-generated water currents rather than facultatively switching between active and passive feeding modes.