Vol. 38 No. 4, 1999

A New Coral-inhabiting Barnacle from Taiwan (Cirripedia: Pyrgomatidae)

Arnold Ross* and William A. Newman

Scripps Institution of Oceanography, La Jolla, California 92093-0202, USA

Arnold Ross and William A. Newman (1999) Cionophora n. gen. is proposed for the coral-inhabiting barnacle Cionophora soongi n. sp. This obligatory symbiont lives on the hermatypic coral Astreopora sp. found in nearshore waters along the southern coast of Taiwan. The external surface of the wall develops tall pillars, a unique feature previously interpreted as simple ornamentation, but herein recognized as an integral part of the barnacle’s symbiotic relationship with the coral. Cionophora soongi differs from all other known Pyrgomatini by possessing both a coalescent wall and fully calcified opercular plates, and in having a long, slender tergal spur with a closed external longitudinal furrow.

Key words: Cionophora soongi n. gen. and n. sp., Coral symbionts, Morphology.

*Correspondence: E-mail: arross@att.net