| Palinurus elephas | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Malacostraca |
| Order: | Decapoda |
| Suborder: | Pleocyemata |
| Family: | Palinuridae |
| Genus: | Palinurus |
| Species: | P. elephas |
| Binomial name | |
| Palinurus elephas (Fabricius, 1787) | |
| Synonyms | |
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Palinurus elephas is a commonly caught species ofspiny lobster from the East Atlantic Ocean and theMediterranean Sea. Itscommon names include European spiny lobster,[2] crayfish or cray (in Ireland), crawfish (in England), common spiny lobster,[3] Mediterranean lobster[4] andred lobster.[5][6]
Palinurus elephas is a common species of spiny lobster, found in the easternAtlantic Ocean, from southernNorway toMorocco and theAzores,[7] and in theMediterranean Sea, except its eastern extremes.[3] It lives on rocky exposed coasts below theintertidal zone,[2] mainly at depths of 20 to 70 metres (66 to 230 ft). It is named after the ancient Roman Tyrrhenian sea port of Palinurus (modern dayPalinuro,Campania, Italy) where they are found in abundance off its promontory.
P. elephas may reach up to 60 cm (24 in) long,[2] although rarely longer than 40 cm (16 in),[3] and usually 25–30 cm (10–12 in).[8] Few achieve their maximum weight of several kilograms.[7]
The adults are reddish-brown with yellow spots. Thecarapace is slightly compressed and lacks lateral ridges. It is covered with forward pointing spines, with the supraorbital spines prominent. The antennae are very heavy and spiny, are tapering and even longer than the body. The first walking leg (pereopod) is provided with subchela (the distal end of a limb developed as a prehensile structure). The fourth segment (merus) of this leg has a characteristic row of spines.[8]
The breeding season is in September and October, with the female brooding the reddish eggs. These eggs hatch about six months later in the spring as flattened, leaf-shaped, planktoniclarvae (phyllosoma larvae).[7][8]P. elephas goes through ten phyllosoma stages and a puerulus stage before adulthood.[9]
It is nocturnal and feeds on small worms, crabs or dead animals, hiding in rock crevices or caves during the day.[4]
It is a much sought-after delicacy and is widely caught for food around the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic coasts of Morocco, Portugal, Spain and southern France, mostly withlobster pots. It is also caught less intensively off the Atlantic Coasts of England and Ireland.[3] There are also small fisheries for this species on the west coast of Scotland, employing tangle nets or lobster pots.Palinurus elephas is the main ingredient of most lobster dishes around the Mediterranean shores, like theMenorcancaldereta de langosta (seelobster stew).
Media related toPalinurus elephas at Wikimedia Commons
