Purple Barnacle

Purple Barnacle or Megabalanus tintinnabulum is a species from the family Balanidae. The latin name meaning handbell refers to the miniature bells or barrel-shaped like barnacles. It is distinguished from other members of the genus by having growth ridges on the external plates by having no spines or spiny projections. The Purple Barnacle can be either rough or smooth, and they are sometimes slightly folded. The basal margin of the shell is either straight or slightly sinuous. The colour is a pale shade of reddish or bluish purple, sometimes streaked longitudinally with a darker or lighter shade and sometimes with transverse bands of colour. Each Purple Barnacle is a unique shape and form and there are no two alike.