Conchoderma auritum (L.) (Cirripedia) recorded from a sperm whale Physeter catodon L. washed up at Claddaghduff, Co. Galway

Colonies of the stalked barnacle Conchoderma auritum (L.) were recovered from the lower jaw of a male sperm whale Physeter catodon L. that was washed up on a beach near Claddaghduff, Co Galway (52? 33.1*W, 10? 11.3' N) on June 2 2002. C. auritum has been previously recorded from cetaceans (Bassindale, R. 1964 British barnacles, Synopses of theBritish Fauna. Linnean Society of London; Relini, G. 1980 Cirripedi toracici ConsiglioNazionale delle Ricerche, Italy.). This species has been previously recorded from Irish waters(see Lillie, D. G. 1910 Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London (1910): 769-792) butthe National Museum does not have any specimens in its collection (see O'Riordan,C. 1967Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy 65B: 285-296 and Dr Mark Holmes pers.comm).Specimens have now been lodged in the Museum. The colonies were still alive indicating that the whale had only recently been washed ashore. The whale, measuring c18m in length had been dead for some time and was in an early stage of decomposition. A deep gash (c30cmlong and 10cm deep) was noted on the left hand side of the front of the head.