''Conopea galeata'' is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of ...

of colonial

barnacle A barnacle is a type of arthropod constituting the subclass Cirripedia in the subphylum Crustacea, and is hence related to crabs and lobsters. Barnacles are exclusively marine, and tend to live in shallow and tidal waters, typically in erosive ...

in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

Archaeobalanidae. It lives exclusively on

gorgonians Alcyonacea, or soft corals, are an order of corals. In addition to the fleshy soft corals, the order Alcyonacea now contains all species previously known as "gorgonian corals", that produce a more or less hard skeleton, though quite different f ...

in the western Atlantic Ocean, the

Caribbean Sea The Caribbean Sea ( es, Mar Caribe; french: Mer des Caraïbes; ht, Lanmè Karayib; jam, Kiaribiyan Sii; nl, Caraïbische Zee; pap, Laman Karibe) is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean in the tropics of the Western Hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico ...

and the

Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico ( es, Golfo de México) is an ocean basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, largely surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United S ...

Description

''Conopea galeata'' grows to a diameter of about . The basal plate by which it adheres to its host gorgonian is boat-shaped. The other main plates are the carina and the carinolaterals, but these are not visible because the

coenenchyme Coenenchyme is the common tissue that surrounds and links the polyps in octocorals. It consists of mesoglea penetrated by tubes (''solenia'') and canals of the gastrodermis and contains sclerites, microscopic mineralised spicules of silica or of ca ...

(soft tissue) of the host overgrows the plates of the barnacle, apart from a gap through which the crustacean extends its

cirri Giovanni Battista Cirri (1 October 1724 – 11 June 1808) was an Italian cellist and composer in the 18th century. Biography Cirri was born in Forlì in the Emilia-Romagna Region of Italy. He had his first musical training with his brother ...

to feed. The plates have brown and white markings, but the barnacle may take on the gorgonian's colouring, which may be some shade of red, purple, orange, yellow or white. The species is androdioecous.

Distribution and habitat

''Conopea galeata'' is found in the southeastern United States, the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico where it grows on the sea whip ''

Leptogorgia virgulata ''Leptogorgia virgulata'', commonly known as the sea whip or colorful sea whip, is a species of soft coral in the family Gorgoniidae.

'', which is found growing on reefs and rocks at depths down to about .

Ecology

A number of different invertebrates live in symbiosis with ''L. virgulata''. Besides ''C. galeata'', these include a small shrimp ''

Neopontonides beaufortensis ''Neopontonides beaufortensis'' is a crustacean species in the family Palaemonidae Palaemonidae is a family of shrimp in the order Decapoda. Many species are carnivores that eat small invertebrates, and can be found in any aquatic habitat ex ...

'', a nudibranch '' Tritonia wellsi'', a bivalve mollusc ''

Pteria colymbus ''Pteria colymbus'', the Atlantic winged oyster, is a species of bivalve mollusc in the family Pteriidae. It can be found along the Atlantic coast of North America, ranging from North Carolina to Bermuda and Brazil. Description The Atlantic wing ...

'', two species of copepod and a gastropod mollusc '' Simnialena uniplicata''. The gorgonian uses chemical defences to prevent

bryozoa Bryozoa (also known as the Polyzoa, Ectoprocta or commonly as moss animals) are a phylum of simple, aquatic invertebrate animals, nearly all living in sedentary colonies. Typically about long, they have a special feeding structure called a ...

ns and

algae Algae ( , ; : alga ) are any of a large and diverse group of photosynthetic, eukaryotic organisms. The name is an informal term for a polyphyletic grouping that includes species from multiple distinct clades. Included organisms range from ...

from growing on the twigs, exuding protective chemicals which inhibit settlement of their larvae. However, the larvae of ''C. galeata'' settle on the old egg masses of the snail ''S. uniplicata'', before drilling down to the gorgonian's axis and anchoring themselves in place. When the egg mass has disintegrated, the

grows to envelop the barnacle, apart from a narrow opening. The presence of the barnacle causes a significant bump on its host.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q4299333 Archaeobalanidae Crustaceans of the Atlantic Ocean Animals described in 1771 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus