Percebes (Goose Barnacle · Overview)

Details

Percebes commonly refers to the goose barnacle, and in European gastronomy most often toPollicipes pollicipes. Goose barnacles are stalked cirripedes (class Cirripedia, order Pedunculata, genus Pollicipes), adults attaching by a peduncle to wave‑beaten rocky shores and feeding with extensible feathery cirri.

Ecology & Biology

• Feeding: classic suspension feeders on zooplankton, phytoplankton and marine snow; cirri rhythmically sweep the flow.

• Life cycle: fertilised eggs develop into nauplii that moult into a cyprid; the cyprid settles and metamorphoses into the adult.

• Aggregations: form dense clusters with mussels/barnacles/seaweeds in surf‑zone belts.

• Human use: a prized delicacy in Galicia (Spain) and Portugal, with tightly regulated harvesting.

Identification

Adults have a capitulum sheathed in white‑to‑grey calcareous plates and a dark, leathery peduncle rich in collagenous fibres. Feathery cirri protrude from the aperture during feeding.

Size & Longevity

• Size: capitulum length typically 2–6 cm; peduncle up to 3–7+ cm depending on exposure/density.

• Life: several years; growth strongly modulated by temperature and food supply.

Range & Habitat

Pollicipes pollicipes occurs along the eastern NE Atlantic (France–Spain–Portugal–Morocco–W. Sahara), prefering high‑energy, oxygen‑rich, exposed rock in the mid‑upper intertidal; related taxa occupy W Africa and the E Pacific.

Conservation & Threats

• Threats: over‑harvest/poaching, coastal works, oiling/pollution, extreme storms and heatwaves.

• Management: quotas, permits, seasons and closures are common; sustainable sourcing and habitat protection are key.

IUCN: this entry is an overview used for culinary/natural‑history context and is marked Not Evaluated (NE); refer to species‑level assessments where available.