| Panulirus argus | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Malacostraca |
| Order: | Decapoda |
| Suborder: | Pleocyemata |
| Family: | Palinuridae |
| Genus: | Panulirus |
| Species: | P. argus |
| Binomial name | |
| Panulirus argus (Latreille, 1804) | |
| Synonyms [2] | |
| |
Panulirus argus, the Caribbean spiny lobster, [2] is a species of spiny lobster that lives on reefs and in mangrove swamps in the western Atlantic Ocean.
P. argus have long, cylindrical bodies covered with spines. Two large spines form forward-pointing "horns" above the eyestalks. They are generally olive greenish or brown, but can be tan to mahogany. There is a scattering of yellowish to cream-colored spots on the carapace and larger (usually four to six) yellow to cream-colored spots on the abdomen. They have one pair of antennae that are longer than the body, and covered with forward pointing spines. The bases of the second antennae are thick, can have a bluish tinge, and are likewise covered with rows of spines. The legs are usually striped longitudinally with blue and yellow and terminate in a single spine-like point. The somites of the abdomen are smooth and have a shallow furrow across the middle. Each has pairs of swimmerets on the underside that are yellow and black. The lobes of the tail are colored similarly to the swimmerets.
P. argus may reach up to 60 cm (24 in) long, but typically around 20 cm (7.9 in), and is fished throughout its range. [2] Sexual maturity in females is reached at a carapace length of 54–80 mm (2.1–3.1 in). [3]
Like most decapods, P. argus hatches from eggs carried externally by the female for around four weeks. [3] They begin life as a free-swimming, microscopic phyllosoma larvae. After about one year, the larvae settle in algae ( Laurencia sp., Neogoniolithon sp.), [4] in Thalassia testudinum seagrass beds or among mangrove roots. After undergoing several molts, they migrate to the coral reefs and live in holes or crevices. [3] As they grow, they molt or shed their exoskeleton to make room for their larger bodies. As in other decapods, after molting, the new exoskeleton or shell is soft, and has to harden. During this time, the lobster is highly vulnerable to predation and as a result they are usually very retiring until the new exoskeleton hardens fully. The diet is mostly composed of mollusks and chitons, [3] but they also consume crustaceans, worms, sea urchins, detritus, vegetable material, and dead animals and fish they find on the bottom. [5]
P. argus is a nocturnal species, taking to cover during the day. While lunar cycle affects their larvae settlement in part, it variably affects adult activity based on location and other undetermined factors. [6] [7] [8] [9] Adult P. argus demonstrate physiological resilience to human-caused light pollution. [10]
P. argus serve as prey for skates, nurse sharks, octopuses, snappers and groupers. [3] They were the first major fisheries species found to be directly supported by chemosynthetic primary productivity from their prey, as opposed to photosynthetic primary productivity. [11]
Although they generally prefer to remain near cover, at times groups of hundreds will line up and march across the floor off Florida and the Bahamas. [3] The purpose of these migrations is not known, but they generally occur in the fall and may be in response to the onset of autumn storms. [3]
Individuals can be found at depths of up to 100 m (330 ft) from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to Beaufort, North Carolina, [3] including the Caribbean Sea, the Bahamas and Bermuda, [3] with occasional reports from West Africa. [2] Although they range throughout the entire Gulf of Mexico, in the northern portions of the Gulf they generally are only found at depths of 33 m (108 ft) and greater due to the seasonal variation in the water temperature. Around the southern portion of the Florida peninsula and throughout the Bahamas and Caribbean, they are found in shallower water. They generally prefer habitat with some sort of cover and can be found around coral reefs, artificial reefs, sponges, bridge pilings, wooden bridge bumpers, piers, and under the prop roots of mangroves.
P. argus is a popular seafood item for human consumption. [2] It is the most important food export of the Bahamas, and rivals the shrimp industry in the Florida Keys in commercial value. They are eagerly sought by both commercial lobstermen and sport divers in South Florida, the Caribbean, the Bahamas, and Bermuda.
In Florida, there is a season where the spiny lobster may be taken, usually from the beginning of August to the end of March, to protect the species during its main breeding season. A special "mini season" a few days before the start of the regular lobster season gives recreational divers a "head start" in catching them. Divers catch them by gloved hand or net, often "tickling" them out of their dens with a dowel or small stick. In the Bahamas and Caribbean, they are often also speared or gigged (Florida game regulations prohibit taking them by these methods). In Bermuda, licensed individuals can only take lobsters by free-diving and using an approved noose within designated areas; all other methods and use of air tanks are prohibited. Commercial fisherman typically use lobster traps similar to those used by lobster fishermen in New England. The traps are usually baited with dead fish or chicken necks.
Other common names for the species in the United States include spiny lobster, Bermuda spiny lobster, common spiny lobster, crawfish, Florida spiny lobster, West Indian langouste and West Indian spiny lobster. [2]
Spiny lobsters, also known as langustas, langouste, or rock lobsters, are a family (Palinuridae) of about 60 species of achelate crustaceans, in the Decapoda Reptantia. Spiny lobsters are also, especially in Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, South Africa, and the Bahamas, called crayfish, sea crayfish, or crawfish, terms which elsewhere are reserved for freshwater crayfish.
The California spiny lobster is a species of spiny lobster found in the eastern Pacific Ocean from Monterey Bay, California, to the Gulf of Tehuantepec, Mexico. It typically grows to a length of 30 cm (12 in) and is a reddish-brown color with stripes along the legs, and has a pair of enlarged antennae but no claws. The interrupted grooves across the tail are characteristic for the species.
Lobsters are widely fished around the world for their meat. They are often hard to catch in large numbers, but their large size can make them a profitable catch. Although the majority of the targeted species are tropical, the majority of the global catch is in temperate waters.
Panulirus cygnus is a species of spiny lobster, found off the west coast of Australia. Panulirus cygnus is the basis of Australia's most valuable fishery, making up 20% of value of Australia's total fishing industry, and is identified as the western rock lobster.
The gafftopsail catfish is a species of marine catfish found in the waters of the western central Atlantic Ocean, as well as the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea. It has long, venomous spines which can cause painful wounds. It feeds on crustaceans and other fish. The male of the species fertilizes the eggs of the female, and broods them in his mouth until they hatch. The gafftopsail feeds throughout the water column. This fish is a common catch in the Southeastern US, although it may be found as far north as New York. They are considered strong fighters by anglers. They are taken from piers, jetties, reefs, and the surf, as well as bottom fishing or flats fishing. They are caught with hard lures as well as soft plastics, cut bait, and live or dead shrimp. Some fishermen use traps for catfish, a method regulated by some states.
The schoolmaster snapper, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a snapper belonging to the family Lutjanidae. It is found in the western Atlantic Ocean. Like other snapper species, it is a popular food fish.
The Caesar grunt, also known as the black grunt, blacktail grunt, or redmouth grunt is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a grunt in the family Haemulidae. It is native to the western Atlantic Ocean
The scrawled cowfish is a species of boxfish native to the western tropical and equatorial Atlantic, as well as the Gulf of Mexico. They range in size from 8–15 inches (20–38 cm), with a maximum length of 18 inches (46 cm), and can be found at depths between 6 and 80 feet. It is common to occasional in Florida and Bahamas; occasional to uncommon in the Caribbean. It also occurs in the Gulf of Mexico, north to Massachusetts, Bermuda and south to Brazil in tropical and warm temperate waters.
Panulirus versicolor is a species of spiny lobster that lives in tropical reefs in the Indo-Pacific. Other names include painted lobster, common rock lobster, bamboo lobster, blue lobster, and blue spiny lobster. P. versicolor is one of the three most common varieties of spiny lobster in Sri Lanka, alongside Panulirus homarus and Panulirus ornatus.
The speckled hind, also known as the calico grouper, kitty mitchell or strawberry grouper, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a grouper from the subfamily Epinephelinae which is part of the family Serranidae, which also includes the anthias and sea basses. It is found in Bermuda and off eastern coast of North America. Its natural habitats are open seas, shallow seas, subtidal aquatic beds, and coral reefs. It is threatened by habitat loss.
Panulirus marginatus, the Hawaiian spiny lobster, is a species of spiny lobster in the family Palinuridae which is endemic to the Hawaiian Islands. It is the subject of extensive commercial and recreational fisheries.
Panulirus pascuensis is a species of spiny lobster found around Easter Island and the Pitcairn Islands in the Pacific Ocean. It is known in English as the Easter Island spiny lobster, Langosta de Isla de Pascua in Spanish and Ura in the Rapa Nui language. This lobster is fished on a small scale for local consumption.
With a large coastal area of 3,260 km (2,030 mi), and a 1 million km2 exclusive economic zone, Vietnam has the potential for a large mariculture. One of the most valuable coastal aquaculture activities is raising spiny lobster species, especially the ornate lobster, Panulirus ornatus, a highly valued species in the seafood industry, especially in Asia, Europe, and America. Spiny lobster farming in sea cages was first developed in Khánh Hòa Province of Vietnam in 1992, and has since expanded to 35,000 lobster cages in just over a decade, and has since become a US$100 million industry.
Panulirus brunneiflagellum is a species of spiny lobster that lives around the Ogasawara Group of southern Japan. Its members were previously included in P. japonicus, although it may be more closely related to P. femoristriga. It has been fished for more than 150 years by Japanese fishermen, who call the species aka-ebi. It differs from related species by the lack of banding along the flagella of the first pair of antennae.
Panulirus ornatus is a large edible spiny lobster with 11 larval stages that has been successfully bred in captivity.
Loxorhynchus grandis, commonly known as the sheep crab or spider crab, is a species of crab in the family Epialtidae. It is the largest crab found on the California coast. The species was first described to science by William Stimpson in 1857. The type specimen was collected on the coast of California, near San Francisco. Fossils from the late Miocene epoch indicate that this species is at least 11.63 to 5.333 million years old.
Panulirus guttatus, the spotted spiny lobster or Guinea chick lobster, is a species of spiny lobster that lives on shallow rocky reefs in the tropical West Atlantic and Caribbean Sea.
Panulirus echinatus, the brown spiny lobster, is a species of spiny lobster that lives on rocky reefs in the tropical western Atlantic Ocean and central Atlantic Islands.
Panulirus inflatus, the blue spiny lobster, is a species of crustacean in the family Palinuridae. It is found at rocky reefs to depths of 30 m (100 ft) in the Pacific Ocean off Mexico, ranging from Baja California to Chiapas. It is commonly caught in artisanal fisheries, but the species is not threatened, being categorized as least concern by the IUCN. There are no subspecies.
The Chinese spiny lobster, also known as the green lobster or Hong Kong rock lobster, is a member of the genus Panulirus of spiny lobsters endemic to the East and South China Seas. It is a moderate size, commercially important species with a range that extends along the east coast of China from Shanghai to Hong Kong. It has also been found in the Taiwan Strait.
Media related to Panulirus argus at Wikimedia Commons