Coronulidae

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Family: Coronulidae

Group: Marine Invertebrate, Species

Scientific NameCommon NameSummary
Coronula diademaHumpback whale barnacleThis is the barnacle that burrows into the skin and blubber tissues of the Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae). It looks rather like the Gray whale barnacle (Cryptolepas rachianecti), except that it sticks further out of the skin, and the grooves between the ridges in the outer "volcanic cone" shell are covered over by a widening of the ridges, so that unlike the gray whale barnacle, it does not have a strongly striated black and white pattern along the edges. The Rabbit-eared barnacle (Conchoderma auritum) is often found attached to this species.
Cryptolepas rachianectiGray whale barnacleThis species is almost entirely buried into its host Gray Whale (Eschrichtius robustus), unlike Humpback whale barnacle (Coronula diadema), which is a parasite on the Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae).

There is some evidence that whale lice such as Gray whale lice (Cyamus scammoni) help keep down the numbers of whale barnacles by causing the skin to heal and expel the barnacles.

When a specimen is found that isn't attached to a whale, it can be identified by the very restricted amount of barnacle that sticks out of the skin. Humpback whale barnacle (Coronula diadema) isn't as squat, and sticks further out.