Spiny Lobsters of the Palinuridae Family
FROM THE PACIFIC (3):
Pinto Spiny Lobster, Panulirus inflatusSpiny Lobsters, which are also known as Rock Lobsters and Sea Crayfish, of the Palinuridae Family are crustaceans in the Phylum Arthropoda and in the Class Malacostraca. They have 5 head segments, 8 thoracic segments, and 6 abdominal segments. The head and thorax are usually combined as a cephalothorax. Their head includes a pair of antennae, a pair of antennules, and the mouth. These animals have a two chambered stomach. Spiny Lobsters, like crabs, crayfish, and shrimp, are Decapods meaning that they have five pairs of appendages that function as legs (pereiopods). One of these pairs is modified into enlarged pincers (chalae). They also have three pairs of appendages that function as mouth parts (maxillipeds). They have a cylindrical profile, though slightly flattened dorsally. The base of their antennae and their carapace are sculpted with sharp spines. The rostrum is either very small, or absent. They have two sharp “horns” over their eyes. Their antennae are longer than the body, and round in cross-section. They use these antennae to sense their environment and to communicate as they have the ability to make a rasping sound. They have six pairs of biramous (dividing to form two branches) appendages along their abdomen. The first five pairs function as swimmerets (pleopods). The last pair is flattened to form a tail fan. Spiny Lobsters, like Slipper Lobsters and Coral Lobsters, are in the infraorder Achelata indicative that they are not True Lobsters, with the most obvious distinction being their lack of claws. Spiny Lobsters reach a maximum length of 70 cm (2 feet 4 inches).
Spiny Lobsters are found worldwide in temperate and tropical seas from the intertidal zone to depths as great as 300 m (984 feet). They are found as solitary individuals or in groups of several individuals. They take shelter during the day in caves, crevices and overhangs and emerge at night for feeding on top of the reef or on soft substrate navigating by magnetic field, smell and taste and consume algae, annelids, bivalves, carrion, crabs, gastropods, sea cucumbers, sea grasses, sea hares, and sea urchins. In turn they are preyed upon by fish, octopus and marine mammals.
The Palinuridae Family has 60 global species of which 4 are found along Mexico’s Pacific Coast.