Variation in the Sizes of Chthamalid Barnacle Post-Settlement Cyprids on European Shores

As part of a wider study on the settlement and recruitment of Chthamalus spp. in Europe, this study investigated whether chthamalid cyprids can be separated by length on a European scale. Variation in cyprid length with latitude and temporal variation at selected localities were also examined. The lengths of cyprids collected between 1996-1999 on nine rocky shores in Europe are reported. Elminius modestus cyprids were found only at Roscoff, NW France and could be distinguished due to their Carapace shape and length. They showed a unimodal length distribution, measuring between 450 and 625 mum, with no variation in length between the two sampling dates (1997 and 1998). Based on carapace shap…