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Species
Invertebrates
Learn more about the invertebrates monitored by the LiMPETS program. The list below includes:
- 17 core taxa that are monitored at as many sites as possible
- 5 other taxa (denoted with *) that are monitored at only one or two sites
Go to Datasheets and Forms to find out which species are monitored at your LiMPETS site of interest.
- Abalone – Haliotis cracherodii
- Aggregating anemone – Anthopleura elegantissima
- Chitons – Mopalia spp./Nuttalina californica/Lepitochitona spp./others
- Common acorn barnacles – Balanus glandula/Chthamalus dalli/fissus
- Giant green anemone – Anthopleura xanthogrammica
- Hermit crabs – Pagurus spp.
- Honeycomb tube worm – Phragmatopoma californica
- Limpets – Lottia spp.
- Leaf barnacle – Pollicipes polymerus
- Ochre sea star – Pisaster ochraceus
- Owl limpet – Lottia gigantea
- Pink acorn barnacle – Tetraclita rubescens
- Purple sea urchin – Strongylocentrotus purpuratus
- Sea mussel – Mytilus californianus
- Sunburst anemone – Anthopleura sola
- Turban snails – Tegula brunnea/funebralis
- Whelks – Acanthinucella spp./Nucella spp.
- * Broken back shrimps – Heptacarpus spp.
- * Bat star – Patiria miniata
- * Brooding anemone – Epiactis prolifera
- * Six-armed star – Leptasterias hexactis
- * Yellow introduced sponge – Hymeniacidon spp.
- We also monitor:
- Bare rock
- Loose sand
- Tar (petroleum)
Leaf (or Gooseneck) Barnacle(Pollicipes polymerus)
- Description:
- Barnacle on dark, fleshy stalk; up to 8 cm in length; the top is covered with more than 5 white plates and surrounded by scales.
- Distribution:
- British Columbia to Baja California.
- Habitat:
- Form aggregations on rocks and among mussels; mid intertidal zone on wave-exposed rocky shores.
- Diet:
- Filter feeds on particles of dead, decaying plants and animals in the backwash of waves. They often orient themselves to face the current and are therefore mostly seen facing the same direction.
- Fun Fact:
- These barnacles are a main food source for Glaucous-winged Gulls. In Europe, humans harvest and eat another species of leaf barnacles.
- Reason for Monitoring:
- Mid zone indicator; major space competitor with mussels.
- References:
- Encyclopedia of the Sanctuary
- Morris, R.H., D.P. Abbott, and E.C. Haderlie. 1980. Intertidal Invertebrates of California. Stanford University Press, Stanford, California.
- MaRINE: Multi-agency Rocky Intertidal Network