Squat lobsters are dorsoventrally flattened crustaceans with long tails held curled beneath the cephalothorax. They are found in the two superfamilies Galatheoidea and Chirostyloidea, which form part of the decapod infraorder Anomura, alongside groups including the hermit crabs and mole crabs. They are distributed worldwide in the oceans, and occur from near the surface to deep sea hydrothermal vents, with one species occupying caves above sea level. More than 900 species have been described, in around 60 genera. Some species form dense aggregations, either on the sea floor or in the water column, and a small number are commercially fished.
Lophelia pertusa, the only species in the genus Lophelia, is a cold-water coral that grows in the deep waters throughout the North Atlantic ocean, as well as parts of the Caribbean Sea and Alboran Sea. Although L. pertusa reefs are home to a diverse community, the species is extremely slow growing and may be harmed by destructive fishing practices, or oil exploration and extraction.
Kiwa is a genus of marine decapods living at deep-sea hydrothermal vents and cold seeps. The animals are commonly referred to as "yeti lobsters" or "yeti crabs”, after the legendary yeti, because of their "hairy" or bristly appearance. The genus is placed in its own family, Kiwaidae, in the superfamily Chirostyloidea. The genus Kiwa is named after the god of shellfish in Polynesian mythology.
The habitat of deep-water corals, also known as cold-water corals, extends to deeper, darker parts of the oceans than tropical corals, ranging from near the surface to the abyss, beyond 2,000 metres (6,600 ft) where water temperatures may be as cold as 4 °C (39 °F). Deep-water corals belong to the Phylum Cnidaria and are most often stony corals, but also include black and thorny corals and soft corals including the Gorgonians. Like tropical corals, they provide habitat to other species, but deep-water corals do not require zooxanthellae to survive.
Galathea squamifera, the black squat lobster, or Montagu's plated lobster, is a species of squat lobster that lives in the north-east Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea.
Echinus tylodes is a species of sea urchin in the Echinidae family. It is white with rather sparse pink spines, and is endemic to the eastern coast of North America including the Gulf of Mexico.
Munidopsis andamanica is a species of squat lobster that lives in the deep sea and eats dead wood. It has long chelipeds, which are twice as long as the carapace.
Munidopsis serricornis is a species of squat lobster. It is widely distributed in the world's oceans, being found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean, the western Atlantic Ocean, and the Indo-Pacific. It grows up to a carapace length of 20 millimetres (0.8 in).
Galathea intermedia is a species of squat lobster in the family Galatheidae. It is found in the north-eastern Atlantic Ocean, as far north as Troms, Norway, south to Dakar and the Mediterranean Sea.
Galathea strigosa is a species of squat lobster in the family Galatheidae. It is found in the northeast Atlantic Ocean, from the Nordkapp to the Canary Islands, and in the Mediterranean Sea and Red Sea. It is edible, but not fished commercially. It is the largest squat lobster in the northeast Atlantic, reaching a length of 90 millimetres (3.5 in), or a carapace length of 53 mm (2.1 in), and is easily identified by the transverse blue stripes across the body.
Eumunida is a genus of squat lobsters. There are 29 recognised species in the genus, the majority of which are from the Pacific Ocean:
Allogalathea elegans is a species of squat lobster that is sometimes kept in marine aquariums. Despite their common name, they are more closely related to hermit crabs than lobsters.
Munida rugosa, commonly known as the rugose squat lobster or plated lobster, is a species of decapod crustacean found in the north east Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea.
Munididae is a family of squat lobsters, taxonomically separated from the family Galatheidae in 2010.
Chirostyloidea is an anomuran superfamily with squat lobster-like representatives. It comprises the three families Chirostylidae, Eumunididae and Kiwaidae. Although representatives of Chirostyloidea are superficially similar to galatheoid squat lobsters, they are more closely related to Lomisoidea and Aegloidea together forming the clade Australopoda. No fossils can be confidently assigned to the Chirostyloidea, although Pristinaspina may belong either in the family Kiwaidae or Chirostylidae.
Munidopsis tuberosa is a species of squat lobster, first isolated from deep waters off Taiwan. M. tuberosa is similar to M. granosicorium, but it differs by the configuration of its carapace and rostrum.
Munidopsis echinata is a species of squat lobster, first found in deep waters off Taiwan. M. echinata is similar to M. colombiana, but differs by lacking an antennal spine on its carapace and having a rather longer antennal peduncle.
Uroptychus orientalis is a species of chirostylid squat lobster first found in Taiwan. This species is separated from U. occidentalis by its shorter antennal scale and dactyli P2–4 with their ultimate and penultimate spines being subequal in size.
Torbenella insolita is a species of squat lobsters in the family Munididae. It occurs in the Pacific Ocean from Tonga to Papua-New Guinea and New Caledonia at depths between 120–470 m (390–1,540 ft).
Munidopsis taiwanica, is a species of Munidopsis, a genus of squat lobster. Named after the type locality. Deepest known record for squat lobsters at 5491m in the Mariana Trench, and is the first confirmed species of squat lobster found in the mud volcano environment.
