How does the northern rock barnacle see?
The northern rock barnacle (Semibalanus balanoides) is a crustacean in the order Sessilia. Its eyes belong to the vision type .
Measured in this species: colour. Measured colour or sharpness: a measured receptor set or acuity in this species; other dials come from relatives or group defaults. Every value below carries its evidence level and sources; nothing is typed by hand.
See your photo as the northern rock barnacleThis species is part of the full catalogue in the tool (full unlock). Your photo stays on your device.
What stands out
- It has one receptor class for colour, so it sees brightness but no hue.
- Its sharpest vision resolves 0.04 cycles per degree: the finest stripe pattern it can tell apart from grey.
The six dials
Evidence levels: how the tiers work. "Measured" means a value measured in this species; "Estimated" values come from a close relative or an eye-size formula.
| Dial | Value | Evidence | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colour | Colour receptors 1 receptor class: 520 nm (MWS (green)) measured in this species | Measured | [1] |
| Sharpness | Acuity 0.04 cycles per degree median of 1 relatives in class Maxillopoda: Argulus coregoni | Group default | [2] |
| Field of view | No value in the catalogue. | ||
| Sharp zones (foveas) | No value in the catalogue. | ||
| Night vision | Rods vs cones no rods (invertebrate photoreceptors) | Group default | |
| Motion (flicker fusion) | No value in the catalogue. | ||
Related animals
- Purple acorn barnacle same vision type
- Horseshoe crab same vision type
- Tuatara same vision type
- Australian lungfish same vision type
- Brine shrimp same vision type
- Coelacanth same vision type
More crustaceans: all crustaceans with measured vision data.
Sources
- Porter ML. Crustacean photoreceptor lambda max compilation, Table 1-1 (dissertation, "Porter_2005" in VPOD); extracted from PDF by VPOD with tabula. github.com/VisualPhysiologyDB/visual-physiology-opsin-db
- Feller KD, Sharkey CR, McDuffee-Altekruse A, Bracken-Grissom HD, Lord NP, Porter ML, Schweikert LE 2021. Surf and turf vision: patterns and predictors of visual acuity in compound eye evolution. Arthropod Structure & Development 60:101002. doi.org/10.1016/j.asd.2020.101002
Every value cites its sources (all sources). Data: catalogue-v1, built 2026-09-29. Accuracy notes: how accurate is this?