Animal Profiles
Crustaceans

Spiny lobster

Palinuridae

Living

Living individuals or members of this group exist today. This does not mean they are safe from extinction.

Spiny lobsters differ from large-clawed lobsters. This account describes the Caribbean spiny lobster (Panulirus argus), a nocturnal forager of tropical western Atlantic waters.

Panulirus argus, the representative described in this account.

Panulirus argus, the representative described in this account.

Diego Delso · CC BY-SA

At a glance

Location
Young Caribbean spiny lobsters use protective coastal vegetation and other cover.
Habitat
Coral reef, Coast
Diet
Omnivore
Food
Snails, bivalves and other small seabed animals provide most food, with occasional plant material also recorded.

Classification

Common name
Spiny lobster
Browse group
Crustaceans
Scientific name or taxon
Palinuridae
Taxon rank
family
Order
Decapoda
Family
Palinuridae
Source classification
Malacostraca

Taxonomy checked against GBIF. For breeds and hybrids, this describes the listed parent taxon.

Three things to know

  • It has long antennae.
  • It lacks large front crushing claws.
  • Some groups migrate in single file.

Habitat and range

Young Caribbean spiny lobsters use protective coastal vegetation and other cover. Adults occupy reefs and rocky shelters across the Caribbean and nearby western Atlantic.

Appearance and adaptations

The spiny outer covering and long antennae are conspicuous. Unlike clawed lobsters, this species lacks a huge crushing claw on either front leg.

Diet and behaviour

Snails, bivalves and other small seabed animals provide most food, with occasional plant material also recorded. Groups sometimes travel in single-file lines, maintaining contact with their antennae.

Sources

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