Slipper lobster

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Slipper lobsters
Temporal range: 100–0  Ma
Scyllarides latus.jpg
Scyllarides latus
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Malacostraca
Order: Decapoda
Suborder: Pleocyemata
Infraorder: Achelata
Family: Scyllaridae
Latreille, 1825  [1]
Subfamilies  [2]
  • Arctidinae
  • Ibacinae
  • Scyllarinae
  • Theninae

Slipper lobsters are a family (Scyllaridae) of about 90 species of achelate crustaceans, in the Decapoda clade Reptantia, found in all warm oceans and seas. They are not true lobsters, but are more closely related to spiny lobsters and furry lobsters. Slipper lobsters are instantly recognisable by their enlarged antennae, which project forward from the head as wide plates. All the species of slipper lobsters are edible, and some, such as the Moreton Bay bug and the Balmain bug ( Ibacus peronii ) are of commercial importance.

Contents

Description

Slipper lobsters have six segments in their heads and eight segments in the thorax, which are collectively covered in a thick carapace. The six segments of the abdomen each bear a pair of pleopods, while the thoracic appendages are either walking legs or maxillipeds. The head segments bear various mouthparts and two pairs of antennae. The first antennae, or antennules, are held on a long flexible stalk, and are used for sensing the environment. The second antennae are the slipper lobsters' most conspicuous feature, as they are expanded and flattened into large plates that extend horizontally forward from the animal's head. [3]

There is considerable variation in size among species of slipper lobsters. The Mediterranean species Scyllarus pygmaeus is the smallest, growing to a maximum total length of 55 millimetres (2.2 in), and rarely more than 40 mm (1.6 in). [4] The largest species, Scyllarides haanii , may reach 50 centimetres (20 in) long. [5]

Ecology

Slipper lobsters are typically bottom dwellers of the continental shelves, found at depths of up to 500 metres (1,600 ft). [6] Slipper lobsters eat a variety of molluscs, including limpets, mussels and oysters, [7] as well as crustaceans, polychaetes and echinoderms. [8] They grow slowly and live to a considerable age. They lack the giant neurones which allow other decapod crustaceans to perform tailflips, and must rely on other means to escape predator attack, such as burial in a substrate and reliance on the heavily armoured exoskeleton. [9]

The most significant predators of slipper lobsters are bony fish, with the grey triggerfish being the most significant predator of Scyllarides latus in the Mediterranean Sea. [7]

Life cycle

A pair of slipper lobster (Scyllaridae) larvae

After hatching out of their eggs, young slipper lobsters pass through around ten instars as phyllosoma larvae — leaf-like, planktonic zoeae. [10] These ten or so stages last the greater part of a year, after which the larva moults into a "nisto" stage that lasts a few weeks. Almost nothing is known about the transition from this stage to the adults, which continue to grow through a series of moults. [3]

Commercial importance

Global production of slipper lobsters from 1957 to 2007 Scyllarus FIGIS 1957 2007.svg
Global production of slipper lobsters from 1957 to 2007

Although they are fished for wherever they are found, slipper lobsters have not been the subject of such intense fishery as spiny lobsters or true lobsters. [11] The methods used for catching slipper lobsters varies depending on the species' ecology. Those that prefer soft substrates, such as Thenus and Ibacus , are often caught by trawling, while those that prefer crevices, caves and reefs (including Scyllarides , Arctides and Parribacus species) are usually caught by scuba divers. [6]

The global catch of slipper lobsters was reported in 1991 to be 2,100 tonnes (2,100 long tons; 2,300 short tons). [12] More recently, annual production has been around 5,000 tonnes (4,900 long tons; 5,500 short tons), the majority of which is production of Thenus orientalis in Asia. [13]

Common names

A number of common names have been applied to the family Scyllaridae. The most common of these is "slipper lobster", [2] [6] followed by "shovel-nosed lobster" [14] and "locust lobster". "Spanish lobster" is used for members of the genus Arctides , [15] "mitten lobster" for Parribacus , [16] and "fan lobster" for Evibacus [17] and Ibacus . [18] In Australia, a number of species are called "bugs" (for example, the Balmain bug and Moreton Bay bug), especially those in the genus Ibacus . [19] Other names used in Australia include "bay lobster", "blind lobster", "flapjack", "flat lobster", "flying saucer", "gulf lobster", "mudbug", "sandbug", "shovel-nose bug", "shovelnose lobster", "crayfish", "slipper bug" and "squagga". [20] Rarer terms include "flathead lobster" (for Thenus orientalis ) [21] and "bulldozer lobster". [22] In Greece they may be known as Kolochtypes which roughly translates as 'bum hitter'. Twenty-two genera are recognised, [23] the majority of which were erected in 2002 by Lipke Holthuis for species formerly classified under Scyllarus : [24]

Parribacus japonicus Pariibacus japonicus.jpg
Parribacus japonicus
Scyllarus arctus Scyllarus arctus 2 by Line1.jpg
Scyllarus arctus

Genera

Slipper lobsters belong to the following genera.

Gallery of various slipper lobsters species:

Fossil record

The fossil record of slipper lobsters extends back 100–120 million years, which is considerably less than that of slipper lobsters' closest relatives, the spiny lobsters. One significant earlier fossil is Cancrinos claviger , which was described from Upper Jurassic sediments at least 142  million years ago, and may represent either an ancestor of modern slipper lobsters, [25] or the sister group to the family Scyllaridae sensu stricto . [22]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spiny lobster</span> Family of crustaceans

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lobster fishing</span> Aspect of the fishing industry

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.

<i>Thenus</i> Genus of crustaceans

Thenus orientalis is a species of slipper lobster from the Indian and Pacific oceans.

<i>Ibacus peronii</i> Species of crustacean

Ibacus peronii, the Balmain bug or butterfly fan lobster, is a species of slipper lobster. It lives in shallow waters around Australia and is the subject of small-scale fishery. It is a flattened, reddish brown animal, up to 23 cm (9 in) long and 14 cm (6 in) wide, with flattened antennae and no claws.

<i>Acanthacaris</i> Genus of lobsters

Acanthacaris is a genus of deep-water lobsters. It contains two species, A. caeca and A. tenuimana, and is the only genus in the subfamily Neophoberinae.

<i>Scyllarus arctus</i> Species of slipper lobster

Scyllarus arctus is a species of slipper lobster which lives in the Mediterranean Sea and eastern Atlantic Ocean. It is uncommon in British and Irish waters, but a number of English-language vernacular names have been applied, including small European locust lobster, lesser slipper lobster and broad lobster.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phyllosoma</span>

The phyllosoma is the larval stage of spiny, slipper and coral lobsters, and represents one of the most significant characteristics that unify them into the taxon Achelata. Its body is remarkably thin, flat, and transparent, with long legs.

<i>Scyllarides latus</i> Species of crustacean

Scyllarides latus, the Mediterranean slipper lobster, is a species of slipper lobster found in the Mediterranean Sea and in the eastern Atlantic Ocean. It is edible and highly regarded as food, but is now rare over much of its range due to overfishing. Adults may grow to 1 foot (30 cm) long, are camouflaged, and have no claws. They are nocturnal, emerging from caves and other shelters during the night to feed on molluscs. As well as being eaten by humans, S. latus is also preyed upon by a variety of bony fish. Its closest relative is S. herklotsii, which occurs off the Atlantic coast of West Africa; other species of Scyllarides occur in the western Atlantic Ocean and the Indo-Pacific. The larvae and young animals are largely unknown.

<i>Scyllarides</i> Genus of crustaceans

Scyllarides is a genus of slipper lobsters.

<i>Parribacus japonicus</i> Species of crustacean

Parribacus japonicus, the Japanese mitten lobster, is a species of slipper lobster. Though the common name for this lobster is the Japanese mitten lobster, it is locally called zōri-ebi (ゾウリエビ) – zōri denoting the Japanese sandal it resembles, and ebi meaning shrimp or lobster.

<i>Scyllarus</i> Genus of crustaceans

Scyllarus is a genus of slipper lobsters from the Atlantic Ocean, including the Mediterranean and Caribbean. Until 2002, the genus included far more species, but these are now placed in other genera. The following species remain in Scyllarus:

<i>Arctides</i> Genus of crustaceans

Arctides is a genus of slipper lobsters, containing three species. The largest of these, A. antipodarum, has a carapace up to 100 millimetres (3.9 in) long, and is found off south-eastern Australia and parts of New Zealand. The other two species are smaller, at up to 70 millimetres (2.8 in) carapace length; A. guineensis is found in an area similar to the Bermuda Triangle; A. regalis is widely distributed in the Indo-Pacific, from the Mascarene Islands to Hawaii and Easter Island.

Arctides guineensis is a species of slipper lobster that lives in the Bermuda Triangle. It is known in Bermuda as the small Spanish lobster, a name which is also favoured by the FAO.

<i>Scyllarides aequinoctialis</i> Species of crustacean

Scyllarides aequinoctialis is a species of slipper lobster that lives in the western Atlantic Ocean from South Carolina to São Paulo State, Brazil, including the Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean Sea, and Bermuda. Its common name is Spanish slipper lobster. It grows up to 30 centimetres (12 in) long, with a carapace 12 cm (4.7 in) long. S. aequinoctialis is the type species of the genus Scyllarides and the first species of slipper lobster to be described from the Western Atlantic.

<i>Parribacus</i> Genus of crustaceans

Parribacus is a genus of slipper lobsters, containing six species, all of which are used locally as human food sources.

Scyllarus pygmaeus is a species of slipper lobster that lives in shallow water in the Mediterranean Sea and eastern Atlantic Ocean. It grows to a length of 55 mm (2.2 in), which is too small for it to be fished for food. The juvenile form was first described in 1885, with the description of the adult following in 1888 as a result of the Challenger expedition.

Galearctus avulsus is a species of slipper lobster that lives around New Caledonia. It was described in 2011, having previously been included in Galearctus kitanovirosus. It differs from the other species of the genus Galearctus most noticeably in the shape of a groove on the sternum.

<i>Ibacus ciliatus</i> Species of crustacean

Ibacus ciliatus is a species of slipper lobster from the north-west Pacific Ocean.

<i>Ibacus alticrenatus</i> Species of crustacean

Ibacus alticrenatus is a species of slipper lobster that lives in the waters of Australia and New Zealand.

<i>Scyllarides squammosus</i> Species of crustacean

Scyllarides squammosus is a species of slipper lobster known as the blunt slipper lobster. It is found throughout the Indo-West Pacific region. Specifically its range is from Australia, Japan, Hawaii, Melanesia, New Caledonia to East Africa. Scyllarides squammosus has been found at depths from 7.5 m to 71 m.

References

  1. ↑ "Scyllaridae Latreille, 1825". Integrated Taxonomic Information System . Retrieved October 21, 2011.
  2. 1 2 Gary Poore & Michael Türkay (February 24, 2009). "Scyllaridae". World Register of Marine Species. Archived from the original on October 12, 2012. Retrieved January 21, 2010.
  3. 1 2 Kari L. Lavalli & Ehud Spanier (2007). "Introduction to the biology and fisheries of slipper lobsters". In Kari L. Lavalli & Ehud Spanier (eds.). The Biology and Fisheries of the Slipper Lobster. Crustacean Issues. Vol. 17. CRC Press. pp. 3–24. ISBN   978-0-8493-3398-9.
  4. ↑ Lipke B. Holthuis (1991). "Scyllarus pygmaeus". Marine Lobsters of the World. FAO Fisheries Synopsis No. 125. Food and Agriculture Organization. pp. 224–225. ISBN   92-5-103027-8. Archived from the original on 2011-06-07. Retrieved 2010-01-21.
  5. ↑ Lipke B. Holthuis (1991). "Scyllarides haanii". Marine Lobsters of the World. FAO Fisheries Synopsis No. 125. Food and Agriculture Organization. p. 189. ISBN   92-5-103027-8. Archived from the original on 2011-06-07. Retrieved 2010-01-21.
  6. 1 2 3 "Family SCYLLARIDAE Latreille, 1825". Australian Faunal Directory . Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts. January 8, 2010. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved January 21, 2010.
  7. 1 2 E. Spanier & K. L. Lavalli (1998). "Natural history of Scyllarides latus (Crustacea: Decapoda): a review of the contemporary biological knowledge of the Mediterranean slipper lobster". Journal of Natural History . 32 (10 & 11): 1769–1786. doi:10.1080/00222939800771281.
  8. ↑ D. Miner; G. Allinson; S. Salzman; M. Nishikawa & N. Turoczy (2006). "Trace metal concentrations in the Balmain bug (Ibacus peronii Leach, 1815) from southwest Victoria, Australia". Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology . 76 (6): 1007–1013. doi:10.1007/s00128-006-1018-7. PMID   16855908. S2CID   12826038.
  9. ↑ Sandra Y. Espinoza; Lana Breen; Nisha Varghese & Zen Faulkes (2006). "Loss of escape-related giant neurons in a spiny lobster, Panulirus argus". Biological Bulletin . 211 (3): 223–231. doi:10.2307/4134545. JSTOR   4134545. PMID   17179382. S2CID   6685525. Archived from the original on 2011-06-16. Retrieved 2010-01-21.
  10. ↑ Nariaki Inoue & Hideo Sekiguchi (2005). "Distribution of scyllarid phyllosoma larvae (Crustacea: Decapoda: Scyllaridae) in the Kuroshio Subgyre". Journal of Oceanography . 61 (3): 389–398. doi:10.1007/s10872-005-0049-8. S2CID   55564480.
  11. ↑ Ehud Spanier & Kari L. Lavalli (2007). "Directions for future research in slipper lobster biology". In Kari L. Lavalli & Ehud Spanier (eds.). The Biology and Fisheries of the Slipper Lobster. Crustacean Issues. Vol. 17. CRC Press. pp. 221–228. ISBN   978-0-8493-3398-9.
  12. ↑ Lipke B. Holthuis (1991). Marine Lobsters of the World. FAO Fisheries Synopsis No. 125. Food and Agriculture Organization. ISBN   92-5-103027-8. Archived from the original on 2010-01-23. Retrieved 2010-01-21.
  13. ↑ "Global Production". Fishery Statistics programme. Food and Agriculture Organization. Archived from the original on November 16, 2020. Retrieved January 21, 2010.
  14. ↑ Karen Gowlett-Holmes. "Taxon Report: Scyllaridae". Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation. Archived from the original on August 15, 2008. Retrieved January 21, 2010.
  15. ↑ "Arctides Holthuis, 1960". Integrated Taxonomic Information System . Retrieved October 21, 2011.
  16. ↑ "Parribacus Dana, 1852". Integrated Taxonomic Information System . Retrieved October 21, 2011.
  17. ↑ "Evibacus Smith, 1869". Integrated Taxonomic Information System . Retrieved October 21, 2011.
  18. ↑ "Ibacus Leach, 1815". Integrated Taxonomic Information System . Retrieved October 21, 2011.
  19. ↑ "Bugs (Ibacus spp.)" (PDF). New South Wales Department of Primary Industries . Retrieved January 21, 2010.
  20. ↑ "Fish names: Balmain bug". Seafood Services Australia. Archived from the original on September 13, 2009. Retrieved January 21, 2010.
  21. ↑ "Thenus orientalis (Lund, 1793)". Integrated Taxonomic Information System . Retrieved October 21, 2011.
  22. 1 2 Joachim T. Haug; Carolin Haug; Dieter Waloszek; Andreas Maas; Matthias Wulf & Günter Schweigert (2009). "Development in Mesozoic scyllarids and implications for the evolution of Achelata (Reptantia, Decapoda, Crustacea)" (PDF). Palaeodiversity . 2: 97–110. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2021-03-09. Retrieved 2010-01-21.
  23. ↑ Sammy De Grave; N. Dean Pentcheff; Shane T. Ahyong; et al. (2009). "A classification of living and fossil genera of decapod crustaceans" (PDF). Raffles Bulletin of Zoology . Suppl. 21: 1–109. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-06-06. Retrieved 2010-01-21.
  24. ↑ Lipke Holthuis (2002). "The Indo-Pacific scyllarine lobsters (Crustacea, Decapoda, Scyllaridae)" (PDF). Zoosystema . 24 (3): 499–683. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2012-02-22. Retrieved 2010-01-21.
  25. ↑ W. Richard Webber & John D. Booth (2007). "Taxonomy and evolution". In Kari L. Lavalli & Ehud Spanier (eds.). The Biology and Fisheries of the Slipper Lobster. Crustacean Issues. Vol. 17. CRC Press. pp. 25–52. ISBN   978-0-8493-3398-9.

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