Austromegabalanus psittacus

Austromegabalanus psittacus
Exoskeleton (shell) of the giant barnacle
Scientific classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Thecostraca
Subclass: Cirripedia
Order: Balanomorpha
Family: Balanidae
Genus: Austromegabalanus
Species:
A. psittacus
Binomial name
Austromegabalanus psittacus
(Molina, 1782)

Austromegabalanus psittacus, the giant barnacle or picoroco as it is known in Spanish, is a species of large barnacle native to the coasts of southern Peru, all of Chile and southern Argentina. It inhabits the littoral and intertidal zones of rocky shores and normally grows up to 30 centimetres (12 in) tall with a mineralized shell composed of calcite. The picoroco barnacle is used in Chilean cuisine and is one of the ingredients in curanto.

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