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{{Short description|Family of crustaceans}} |
{{Short description|Family of crustaceans}} |
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{{Redirect|Rock lobster|the B-52's song|Rock Lobster|other uses|Rock Lobster (disambiguation)}} |
{{Redirect|Rock lobster|the B-52's song|Rock Lobster|other uses|Rock Lobster (disambiguation)}} |
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{{Merge from|Spiny lobster culture in Vietnam|discuss=Talk:Spiny lobster#Proposed merge of Spiny lobster culture in Vietnam into Spiny lobster|date=February 2023}} |
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{{Automatic taxobox | name = Spiny lobsters |
{{Automatic taxobox | name = Spiny lobsters |
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| fossil_range = {{fossil range|110|0}} |
| fossil_range = {{fossil range|110|0}} |
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'''Spiny lobsters''', also known as '''langustas''', '''langouste''', or '''rock lobsters''', are a family ('''Palinuridae''') of about 60 species of [[Achelata|achelate]] [[crustacean]]s, in the [[Decapoda]] [[Reptantia]]. Spiny lobsters are also, especially in Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, South Africa, and |
'''Spiny lobsters''', also known as '''langustas''', '''langouste''', or '''rock lobsters''', are a family ('''Palinuridae''') of about 60 species of [[Achelata|achelate]] [[crustacean]]s, 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''' ("kreef" in South Africa), terms which elsewhere are reserved for [[crayfish|freshwater crayfish]].<ref>{{cite journal |title=Let's call the spiny lobster 'spiny lobster' |author=Harold W. Sims Jr. |journal=[[Crustaceana]] |volume=8 |issue=1 |year=1965 |pages=109–110 |doi=10.1163/156854065X00613 |jstor=20102626}}</ref> |
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==Classification== |
==Classification== |
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The [[furry lobster]]s ( |
The [[furry lobster]]s (such as ''Palinurellus'') were previously separated into a family of their own, the [[Synaxidae]], but they are usually considered members of the Palinuridae.<ref name="Palero">{{cite journal |author=Ferran Palero |author2= Keith A. Crandall|author-link2=Keith A. Crandall|author3=Pere Abelló |author4= Enrique Macpherson |author5=Marta Pascual |display-authors =3 |year= 2009 |title= Phylogenetic relationships between spiny, slipper and coral lobsters (Crustacea, Decapoda, Achelata) |journal=[[Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution]] |volume= 50 |issue=1 |pages=152–162 |doi= 10.1016/j.ympev.2008.10.003 |url= http://crandalllab.byu.edu/portals/20/docs/publications/palerompe2009achelata.pdf |pmid=18957325 |url-status= dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20111008214426/http://crandalllab.byu.edu/Portals/20/docs/publications/PaleroMPE2009Achelata.pdf |archive-date=2011-10-08 }}</ref> The [[slipper lobster]]s (Scyllaridae) are their next-closest relatives, and these two or three families make up the [[Achelata]].<ref name="Palero"/> Genera of spiny lobsters include ''Palinurus'' and a number of anagrams thereof:<ref>{{cite book |editor1=Bruce F. Phillips |editor2= J. Kittaka |year=2000 |title=Spiny Lobsters: Fisheries and Culture |edition= 2nd |publisher=[[John Wiley & Sons]] |isbn=978-0-85238-264-6 |author1=R. N. Lipcius |author2=D. B. Eggleston |name-list-style=amp |chapter=Introduction: Eecology and fishery biology of spiny lobsters |pages=1–42 |chapter-url= https://books.google.com/books?id=t_3rCMXtggwC&pg=PA2}}</ref> ''Panulirus'', ''Linuparus'', etc. The name derives from the small Italian port of [[Palinuro]], which was known for harvesting the European spiny lobster (''[[Palinurus elephas]]'') in ancient Roman times. The town itself was named for the legendary figure of Palinurus, who was a helmsman in [[Virgil]]'s ''[[Æneid]]''. |
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In total, 12 extant genera are recognised, containing around 60 living species:<ref name="Ahyong">{{cite book |author=Shane T. Ahyong |author2= James K. Lowry |author3=Miguel Alonso| author4=Roger N. Bamber |author5=Geoffrey A. Boxshall |author6=Peter Castro |author7=Sarah Gerken |author8=Gordan S. Karaman |author9=Joseph W. Goy| author10= Diana S. Jones |author11=Kenneth Meland|author12=D. Christopher Rogers |author13=Jörundur Svavarsson |display-authors =3 |year=2011 |chapter=Subphylum Crustacea Brünnich, 1772 |editor=Z.-Q. Zhang |title=Animal biodiversity: an outline of higher-level classification and survey of taxonomic richness |journal=[[Zootaxa]] |volume=3148 |pages=165–191 |chapter-url= http://www.mapress.com/zootaxa/2011/f/zt03148p191.pdf |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120124225802/http://www.mapress.com/zootaxa/2011/f/zt03148p191.pdf |archive-date=2012-01-24 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite WoRMS |author= Michael Türkay |year=2011 |title= Palinuridae |id=106794 |access-date= January 11, 2012}}</ref> |
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{{div col|colwidth=18em}} |
{{div col|colwidth=18em}} |
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*''[[Jasus]]'' <small>Parker, 1883</small> |
*''[[Jasus]]'' <small>Parker, 1883</small> |
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== Description == |
== Description == |
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[[File:Jasus edwardsii.jpg|thumb|''[[Jasus edwardsii]]'']] |
[[File:Jasus edwardsii.jpg|thumb|''[[Jasus edwardsii]]'']] |
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Although they superficially resemble [[lobster|true lobsters]] in terms of overall shape and having a hard [[carapace]] and [[exoskeleton]], the two groups are not closely related. Spiny lobsters can be easily distinguished from true lobsters by their very long, thick, spiny [[Antenna (biology)|antennae]], by the lack of [[chela (organ)|chelae]] (claws) on the first four pairs of walking legs, although the females of most species have a small claw on the fifth pair,<ref>{{cite book |url=http://ip30.eti.uva.nl/bis/lobsters.php?selected=definitie&menuentry=woordenlijst&record=chela |title=FAO species catalogue Vol. 13: Marine Lobsters of the World |author=Lipke Holthuis |author-link=Lipke Holthuis |publisher=[[Food and Agriculture Organization]] |year=1991 |isbn=92-5-103027-8 |chapter=Glossary}}</ref> and by a particularly specialized larval phase called [[phyllosoma]]. True lobsters have much smaller antennae and claws on the first three pairs of [[arthropod leg|legs]], with the first being particularly enlarged. |
Although they superficially resemble [[lobster|true lobsters]] in terms of overall shape and having a hard [[carapace]] and [[exoskeleton]], the two groups are not closely related. Spiny lobsters can be easily distinguished from true lobsters by their very long, thick, spiny [[Antenna (biology)|antennae]], by the lack of [[chela (organ)|chelae]] (claws) on the first four pairs of walking legs, although the females of most species have a small claw on the fifth pair,<ref>{{cite book |url=http://ip30.eti.uva.nl/bis/lobsters.php?selected=definitie&menuentry=woordenlijst&record=chela |title=FAO species catalogue Vol. 13: Marine Lobsters of the World |author=Lipke Holthuis |author-link=Lipke Holthuis |publisher=[[Food and Agriculture Organization]] |year=1991 |isbn=92-5-103027-8 |chapter=Glossary |access-date=2007-07-25 |archive-date=2009-02-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090207175719/http://ip30.eti.uva.nl/bis/lobsters.php?selected=definitie&menuentry=woordenlijst&record=chela |url-status=dead }}</ref> and by a particularly specialized larval phase called [[phyllosoma]]. True lobsters have much smaller antennae and claws on the first three pairs of [[arthropod leg|legs]], with the first being particularly enlarged. |
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Spiny lobsters typically have a slightly compressed carapace, lacking any lateral ridges. Their [[Antenna (biology)#Crustaceans|antennae]] lack a scaphocerite, the flattened exopod of the antenna. This is fused to the epistome (a plate between the [[Labrum (arthropod mouthpart)|labrum]] and the basis of the antenna). The flagellum, at the top of the antenna, is stout, tapering, and very long. The ambulatory legs ([[Decapod anatomy|pereopods]]) end in claws (chelae).<ref name = Handbook>{{cite book |author1=P. J. Hayward |author2=J. S. Ryland |name-list-style=amp |title=Handbook of the Marine Fauna of North-West Europe |pages=430 |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |year=1996 |isbn=0-19-854055-8}}</ref> |
Spiny lobsters typically have a slightly compressed carapace, lacking any lateral ridges. Their [[Antenna (biology)#Crustaceans|antennae]] lack a scaphocerite, the flattened exopod of the antenna. This is fused to the epistome (a plate between the [[Labrum (arthropod mouthpart)|labrum]] and the basis of the antenna). The flagellum, at the top of the antenna, is stout, tapering, and very long. The ambulatory legs ([[Decapod anatomy|pereopods]]) end in claws (chelae).<ref name = Handbook>{{cite book |author1=P. J. Hayward |author2=J. S. Ryland |name-list-style=amp |title=Handbook of the Marine Fauna of North-West Europe |pages=430 |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |year=1996 |isbn=0-19-854055-8}}</ref> |
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==Fossil record== |
==Fossil record== |
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The [[fossil record]] of spiny lobsters has been extended by the discovery in 1995 of a 110-million-year-old fossil near [[El Espiñal]] in [[Chiapas]], [[Mexico]]. Workers from the [[National Autonomous University of Mexico]] have named the fossil ''Palinurus palaecosi'', and report that it is closest to members of the genus ''[[Palinurus (crustacean)|Palinurus]]'' currently living off the coasts of Africa.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/05/070503-oldest-lobster.html |title=Photo in the news: oldest lobster fossil found in Mexico |author=Victoria Jaggard |publisher=[[National Geographic Society|National Geographic]] |date=May 3, 2007}}</ref> |
The [[fossil record]] of spiny lobsters has been extended by the discovery in 1995 of a 110-million-year-old fossil near [[El Espiñal]] in [[Chiapas]], [[Mexico]]. Workers from the [[National Autonomous University of Mexico]] have named the fossil ''Palinurus palaecosi'', and report that it is closest to members of the genus ''[[Palinurus (crustacean)|Palinurus]]'' currently living off the coasts of Africa.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/05/070503-oldest-lobster.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070505025257/http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/05/070503-oldest-lobster.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=May 5, 2007 |title=Photo in the news: oldest lobster fossil found in Mexico |author=Victoria Jaggard |publisher=[[National Geographic Society|National Geographic]] |date=May 3, 2007}}</ref> |
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==Ecology== |
==Ecology== |
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Spiny lobsters are found in almost all warm seas, including the [[Caribbean]] and the [[Mediterranean Sea]], but are particularly common in [[Australasia]], where they are referred to commonly as [[crayfish]] or sea crayfish (''[[Jasus edwardsii]]''),<ref>{{cite web |publisher=[[Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water]] |url=http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/resources/cultureheritage/illawarraAboriginalResourceUse.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080727194359/http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/resources/cultureheritage/illawarraAboriginalResourceUse.pdf |archive-date=2008-07-27 |url-status=live |title=Murni Dhungang Jirrar Living in the Illawarra - Aboriginal people and wild resource use |year=2005 |author=Sue Wesson |page=22}}</ref> and in [[South Africa]] (''[[Jasus lalandii]]''). |
Spiny lobsters are found in almost all warm seas, including the [[Caribbean]] and the [[Mediterranean Sea]], but are particularly common in [[Australasia]], where they are referred to commonly as [[crayfish]] or sea crayfish (''[[Jasus edwardsii]]''),<ref>{{cite web |publisher=[[Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water]] |url=http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/resources/cultureheritage/illawarraAboriginalResourceUse.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080727194359/http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/resources/cultureheritage/illawarraAboriginalResourceUse.pdf |archive-date=2008-07-27 |url-status=live |title=Murni Dhungang Jirrar Living in the Illawarra - Aboriginal people and wild resource use |year=2005 |author=Sue Wesson |page=22}}</ref> and in [[South Africa]] (''[[Jasus lalandii]]''). |
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Spiny lobsters tend to live in crevices of rocks and [[coral]] [[reef]]s, only occasionally venturing out at night to seek [[snail]]s, [[clam]]s, [[Aplysiomorpha|sea-hares]],<ref name="Derby, Kicklighter et al (2007)">{{cite journal| |
Spiny lobsters tend to live in crevices of rocks and [[coral]] [[reef]]s, only occasionally venturing out at night to seek [[snail]]s, [[clam]]s, [[Aplysiomorpha|sea-hares]],<ref name="Derby, Kicklighter et al (2007)">{{cite journal|url=http://www2.gsu.edu/~biocdd/Publications/Reprints/2007/Derby%2520et%2520al%2520joun%2520chem%2520eco%25202007.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090219144435/http://www2.gsu.edu/~biocdd/Publications/Reprints/2007/Derby%20et%20al%20joun%20chem%20eco%202007.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=February 19, 2009|title=Chemical Composition of Inks of Diverse Marine Molluscs Suggests Convergent Chemical Defenses |author=Derby, Charles D. |author2=Kicklighter, Cynthia E. |author3=Johnson, P. M. |author4=Xu Zhang |name-list-style=amp |date=29 March 2007 |journal=Journal of Chemical Ecology |volume=2007 |issue=33 |pages=1105–1113 |access-date=9 May 2015 |doi=10.1007/s10886-007-9279-0 |pmid=17393278| s2cid=92064 }}</ref> [[crab]]s, or [[sea urchin]]s to eat. They sometimes migrate in very large groups in long files of lobsters across the sea floor. These lines may be more than 50 lobsters long. Spiny lobsters navigate using the smell and taste of natural substances in the water that change in different parts of the ocean. It was recently discovered that spiny lobsters can also navigate by detecting the [[Earth's magnetic field]].<ref>{{cite book |title=Physics |edition=7th |author1=John D. Cutnell |author2=Kenneth W. Johnson |name-list-style=amp |isbn=978-0-471-66315-7 |year=2007 |pages=1088|publisher=Wiley }}</ref> They keep together by contact, using their long antennae.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Miles Kelly Book of Life |location=[[Great Bardfield]], [[Essex]] |publisher=[[Miles Kelly Publishing]] |year=2006}}</ref> Potential [[predator]]s may be deterred from eating spiny lobsters by a loud screech made by the antennae of the spiny lobsters rubbing against a smooth part of the [[exoskeleton]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/07/0728_040728_spinylobsters.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040805035025/http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/07/0728_040728_spinylobsters.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=August 5, 2004|title=Decoding spiny lobsters' violin-like screech |author=John Roach |date=July 28, 2004 |publisher=[[National Geographic News]]}}</ref> Spiny lobsters usually exhibit the social habit of being together. However recent studies indicate that healthy lobsters move away from infected ones, leaving the diseased lobsters to fend for themselves.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.odu.edu/webroot/orgs/IA/university_news.nsf/articles/05242006092037AM |title=Lobsters have innate way to stay healthy, ODU researchers say in Nature article |date=May 24, 2006 |publisher=[[Old Dominion University]] News |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060910084900/http://www.odu.edu/webroot/orgs/IA/university_news.nsf/articles/05242006092037AM |archive-date=September 10, 2006}}</ref> |
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Like true lobsters, spiny lobsters are edible and are an economically significant food source; they are the biggest food export of the [[Bahamas]], for instance.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.internationalreports.net/theamericas/bahamas/2003/thespiny.html |title=The 'spiny' focus of fisheries |publisher=[[InternationalReports.net]] |year=2003 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081121192929/http://www.internationalreports.net/theamericas/bahamas/2003/thespiny.html |archive-date=November 21, 2008}}</ref> |
Like true lobsters, spiny lobsters are edible and are an economically significant food source; they are the biggest food export of the [[Bahamas]], for instance.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.internationalreports.net/theamericas/bahamas/2003/thespiny.html |title=The 'spiny' focus of fisheries |publisher=[[InternationalReports.net]] |year=2003 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081121192929/http://www.internationalreports.net/theamericas/bahamas/2003/thespiny.html |archive-date=November 21, 2008}}</ref> |
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===Sound=== |
===Sound=== |
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Many spiny lobsters produce [[rasp]]ing sounds to repel [[predator]]s by rubbing the "[[plectrum]]" at the base of the spiny lobster's antennae against a "[[File (tool)|file]]". The noise is produced by frictional vibrations – sticking and slipping, similar to rubber materials sliding against hard surfaces.<ref name= Meyer-Rochow>{{ cite journal|author1= Meyer-Rochow V.B.|author2=Penrose J.|year=1977| title=Sound production by the Western rock lobster Panulirus longipes|journal=Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology|volume=23|pages=191–210|doi=10.1016/0022-0981(76)90141-6}}</ref> While a number of insects use frictional vibration mechanisms to generate sound, this particular acoustic mechanism is unique in the animal kingdom. Significantly, the system does not rely on the hardness of the exoskeleton, as many other [[arthropod]] sounds do, meaning that the spiny lobsters can continue to produce the deterrent noises even in the period following a [[ecdysis|moult]] when they are most vulnerable.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=S. N. Patek |author2=J. E. Baio |name-list-style=amp |year=2007 |title=The acoustic mechanics of stick-slip friction in the California spiny lobster (''Panulirus interruptus'') |journal=[[Journal of Experimental Biology]] |volume=210 |issue=20 |pages=3538–3546 |pmid=17921155 |doi=10.1242/jeb.009084 |s2cid=15948322 |url=http://www.bio.umass.edu/biology/pateklab/sites/www.bio.umass.edu.biology.pateklab/files/PatekandBaio2007JEB.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120218010417/http://www.bio.umass.edu/biology/pateklab/sites/www.bio.umass.edu.biology.pateklab/files/PatekandBaio2007JEB.pdf |archive-date=2012-02-18 |url-status=live |doi-access=free }}</ref> The stridulating organ is present in all but three genera in the family (''[[Jasus]]'', ''[[Projasus]]'', and the [[furry lobster]] ''[[Palinurellus]]''),<ref>{{cite book |url=http://ip30.eti.uva.nl/bis/lobsters.php?menuentry=inleiding |title=FAO species catalogue Vol. 13: Marine Lobsters of the World |author=Lipke Holthuis |author-link=Lipke Holthuis |publisher=[[Food and Agriculture Organization]] |year=1991 |isbn=92-5-103027-8}}</ref> and its form can distinguish different species.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://faculty.washington.edu/fishguy/Articles/Lobsters-Violin.html |title=The Lobster's Violin |author=Adam Summers |publisher=[[American Museum of Natural History]] |year=2001 |access-date=January 11, 2012}}</ref> |
Many spiny lobsters produce [[rasp]]ing sounds to repel [[predator]]s by rubbing the "[[plectrum]]" at the base of the spiny lobster's antennae against a "[[File (tool)|file]]". The noise is produced by frictional vibrations – sticking and slipping, similar to rubber materials sliding against hard surfaces.<ref name= Meyer-Rochow>{{ cite journal|author1= Meyer-Rochow V.B.|author2=Penrose J.|year=1977| title=Sound production by the Western rock lobster Panulirus longipes|journal=Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology|volume=23|pages=191–210|doi=10.1016/0022-0981(76)90141-6}}</ref> While a number of insects use frictional vibration mechanisms to generate sound, this particular acoustic mechanism is unique in the animal kingdom. Significantly, the system does not rely on the hardness of the exoskeleton, as many other [[arthropod]] sounds do, meaning that the spiny lobsters can continue to produce the deterrent noises even in the period following a [[ecdysis|moult]] when they are most vulnerable.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=S. N. Patek |author2=J. E. Baio |name-list-style=amp |year=2007 |title=The acoustic mechanics of stick-slip friction in the California spiny lobster (''Panulirus interruptus'') |journal=[[Journal of Experimental Biology]] |volume=210 |issue=20 |pages=3538–3546 |pmid=17921155 |doi=10.1242/jeb.009084 |s2cid=15948322 |url=http://www.bio.umass.edu/biology/pateklab/sites/www.bio.umass.edu.biology.pateklab/files/PatekandBaio2007JEB.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120218010417/http://www.bio.umass.edu/biology/pateklab/sites/www.bio.umass.edu.biology.pateklab/files/PatekandBaio2007JEB.pdf |archive-date=2012-02-18 |url-status=live |doi-access=free }}</ref> The stridulating organ is present in all but three genera in the family (''[[Jasus]]'', ''[[Projasus]]'', and the [[furry lobster]] ''[[Palinurellus]]''),<ref>{{cite book |url=http://ip30.eti.uva.nl/bis/lobsters.php?menuentry=inleiding |title=FAO species catalogue Vol. 13: Marine Lobsters of the World |author=Lipke Holthuis |author-link=Lipke Holthuis |publisher=[[Food and Agriculture Organization]] |year=1991 |isbn=92-5-103027-8 |access-date=2007-06-30 |archive-date=2009-02-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090206190729/http://ip30.eti.uva.nl/bis/lobsters.php?menuentry=inleiding |url-status=dead }}</ref> and its form can distinguish different species.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://faculty.washington.edu/fishguy/Articles/Lobsters-Violin.html |title=The Lobster's Violin |author=Adam Summers |publisher=[[American Museum of Natural History]] |year=2001 |access-date=January 11, 2012}}</ref> |
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==See also== |
==See also== |
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{{Commons category|Palinuridae}} |
{{Commons category|Palinuridae}} |
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{{Wikispecies|Palinuridae}} |
{{Wikispecies|Palinuridae}} |
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*{{Cite web|title = Spiny Lobster Factsheet|url = http://waittinstitute.org/lobster/|access-date = 2015-06-08|publisher = Waitt Institute }} |
*{{Cite web|title = Spiny Lobster Factsheet|url = http://waittinstitute.org/lobster/|access-date = 2015-06-08|publisher = Waitt Institute|archive-date = 2016-03-27|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160327062709/http://waittinstitute.org/lobster/|url-status = dead}} |
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*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7HnwBaYQU38 An audio recording of the rasp of a spiny lobster] |
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7HnwBaYQU38 An audio recording of the rasp of a spiny lobster] |
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Spiny lobsters
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Panulirus interruptus | |
Scientific classification ![]() | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Malacostraca |
Order: | Decapoda |
Suborder: | Pleocyemata |
Infraorder: | Achelata |
Family: | Palinuridae Latreille, 1802 |
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 ("kreef" in South Africa), terms which elsewhere are reserved for freshwater crayfish.[1]
The furry lobsters (such as Palinurellus) were previously separated into a family of their own, the Synaxidae, but they are usually considered members of the Palinuridae.[2] The slipper lobsters (Scyllaridae) are their next-closest relatives, and these two or three families make up the Achelata.[2] Genera of spiny lobsters include Palinurus and a number of anagrams thereof:[3] Panulirus, Linuparus, etc. The name derives from the small Italian port of Palinuro, which was known for harvesting the European spiny lobster (Palinurus elephas) in ancient Roman times. The town itself was named for the legendary figure of Palinurus, who was a helmsman in Virgil's Æneid.
In total, 12 extant genera are recognised, containing around 60 living species:[4][5]
Although they superficially resemble true lobsters in terms of overall shape and having a hard carapace and exoskeleton, the two groups are not closely related. Spiny lobsters can be easily distinguished from true lobsters by their very long, thick, spiny antennae, by the lack of chelae (claws) on the first four pairs of walking legs, although the females of most species have a small claw on the fifth pair,[6] and by a particularly specialized larval phase called phyllosoma. True lobsters have much smaller antennae and claws on the first three pairs of legs, with the first being particularly enlarged.
Spiny lobsters typically have a slightly compressed carapace, lacking any lateral ridges. Their antennae lack a scaphocerite, the flattened exopod of the antenna. This is fused to the epistome (a plate between the labrum and the basis of the antenna). The flagellum, at the top of the antenna, is stout, tapering, and very long. The ambulatory legs (pereopods) end in claws (chelae).[7]
The size of the adults varies from a few centimetres to 30–40 cm. In general, it is said that rarely some individuals can reach 60 cm (Panulirus argus).
Nevertheless, some reports – the authenticity of which can be questioned – are of much larger lobsters. One such source is Bernard Gorsky's travel book La derniére ile.[8] In this, the author lists the following statements:
The fossil record of spiny lobsters has been extended by the discovery in 1995 of a 110-million-year-old fossil near El EspiñalinChiapas, Mexico. Workers from the National Autonomous University of Mexico have named the fossil Palinurus palaecosi, and report that it is closest to members of the genus Palinurus currently living off the coasts of Africa.[15]
Spiny lobsters are found in almost all warm seas, including the Caribbean and the Mediterranean Sea, but are particularly common in Australasia, where they are referred to commonly as crayfish or sea crayfish (Jasus edwardsii),[16] and in South Africa (Jasus lalandii).
Spiny lobsters tend to live in crevices of rocks and coral reefs, only occasionally venturing out at night to seek snails, clams, sea-hares,[17] crabs, or sea urchins to eat. They sometimes migrate in very large groups in long files of lobsters across the sea floor. These lines may be more than 50 lobsters long. Spiny lobsters navigate using the smell and taste of natural substances in the water that change in different parts of the ocean. It was recently discovered that spiny lobsters can also navigate by detecting the Earth's magnetic field.[18] They keep together by contact, using their long antennae.[19] Potential predators may be deterred from eating spiny lobsters by a loud screech made by the antennae of the spiny lobsters rubbing against a smooth part of the exoskeleton.[20] Spiny lobsters usually exhibit the social habit of being together. However recent studies indicate that healthy lobsters move away from infected ones, leaving the diseased lobsters to fend for themselves.[21]
Like true lobsters, spiny lobsters are edible and are an economically significant food source; they are the biggest food export of the Bahamas, for instance.[22]
Many spiny lobsters produce rasping sounds to repel predators by rubbing the "plectrum" at the base of the spiny lobster's antennae against a "file". The noise is produced by frictional vibrations – sticking and slipping, similar to rubber materials sliding against hard surfaces.[23] While a number of insects use frictional vibration mechanisms to generate sound, this particular acoustic mechanism is unique in the animal kingdom. Significantly, the system does not rely on the hardness of the exoskeleton, as many other arthropod sounds do, meaning that the spiny lobsters can continue to produce the deterrent noises even in the period following a moult when they are most vulnerable.[24] The stridulating organ is present in all but three genera in the family (Jasus, Projasus, and the furry lobster Palinurellus),[25] and its form can distinguish different species.[26]
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Subgroups of Order Decapoda
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Dendrobranchiata |
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Pleocyemata |
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Edible crustaceans
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Shrimp/ prawns |
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Lobsters (incl. slipper & spiny) |
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Crabs |
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Crayfish |
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Others |
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Palinuridae |
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Authority control databases: National ![]() |
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