Striped Barnacle

Amphibalanus amphitrite

Markings and exact colorations may vary.

A small volcano-shaped barnacle with neat purple-brown vertical stripes.

Typical size
0.25–0.75 in
How often it turns up
Very common
Collecting
Usually legal to collect

Barnacles on beach debris are fine to keep. Do not scrape live barnacles off structures.

Handling
Sharp edges

Dry barnacle plates have sharp edges — a common cause of cuts on wet rocks.

How to tell it apart

  • Cone shape with a diamond-shaped opening on top
  • Vertical purple or brown stripes on white
  • Cemented firmly to whatever it grew on

Where to find these in Florida

Beaches rated very good or excellent for tidepool life. Each page shows today’s score, the best window and access details.

Found one?

Photograph it and BeachNut ranks the likely matches with a confidence read, then logs it to your collection with the beach and date.

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