Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Metamorphosis in a Silurian barnacle.

Derek E G Briggs1, Mark D Sutton, David J Siveter

  • 1Yale University, Department of Geology and Geophysics, PO Box 208109, New Haven, CT 06520-8109, USA. derek.briggs@yale.edu

Proceedings. Biological Sciences
|October 26, 2005
PubMed
Summary

Exceptionally preserved fossils reveal barnacle metamorphosis in the Silurian period. This discovery shows the evolution of free-swimming larvae into attached juveniles, indicating crown group cirripedes existed by the Silurian.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

A marine stem-myriapod from the Silurian Waukesha Lagerstätte, Wisconsin, USA: terrestrial traits pre-date the transition to land.

Proceedings. Biological sciences·2026
Same author

The loop domains of the E. coli β sliding clamp are required for Hda-dependent inactivation of DnaA.

Genetics·2026
Same author

Richard Fortey obituary: palaeontologist, author and TV presenter who traced continents through fossils.

Nature·2025
Same author

Cretaceous lacewing larvae with binocular vision demonstrate the convergent evolution of sophisticated simple eyes.

Insect science·2025
Same author

New Silurian aculiferan fossils reveal complex early history of Mollusca.

Nature·2025
Same author

A pyritized Ordovician leanchoiliid arthropod.

Current biology : CB·2024

Area of Science:

  • Paleontology
  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Marine Biology

Background:

  • The fossil record of early barnacle (Cirripedia) life stages is scarce.
  • Understanding early crustacean metamorphosis is crucial for evolutionary studies.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To document the earliest evidence of barnacle metamorphosis.
  • To investigate the larval and juvenile morphology of Palaeozoic barnacles.
  • To determine the evolutionary stage of barnacles in the Silurian.

Main Methods:

  • Fossil excavation and preparation from Wenlock Series strata in Herefordshire, UK.
  • Detailed morphological analysis of fossilized larval and juvenile barnacle specimens.
  • Comparative analysis with extant and fossil cirripedes.

Related Experiment Videos

Main Results:

  • Exceptionally preserved fossils show a free-swimming cyprid larva with specialized anterior limbs.
  • Fossils reveal a transition to an attached juvenile stage with a stalk-like head and primordial carapace plates.
  • The presence of a cyprid larva indicates a complex life cycle in the Silurian.

Conclusions:

  • This discovery provides the first direct evidence of metamorphosis in Palaeozoic barnacles.
  • The findings suggest that crown group cirripedes, with complex life cycles, had evolved by the Silurian period.
  • This fossil evidence significantly enhances our understanding of early crustacean evolution and life history strategies.