Brown spiny lobster facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Brown spiny lobster |
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Panulirus echinatus, also called the brown spiny lobster, is a type of spiny lobster. It lives on rocky reefs in the warm parts of the western Atlantic Ocean and around islands in the central Atlantic. Unlike some other lobsters, these spiny lobsters do not have large claws.
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Description
What Does It Look Like?
Like other spiny lobsters, Panulirus echinatus does not have big, pincer-like claws (called chelae) on its front walking legs. This makes them different from many other lobsters you might know.
You can tell this lobster apart from similar species by a few special things. It has only two large spines on a plate right in front of its main body shell, which is called the carapace. Also, a small part of its third feeding leg (called the exopod) is very tiny. It does not have a long, whip-like part (a flagellum) on this leg.
The lobster's main color is brown. It has many large, round white spots all over its body. Its antennae and legs are also brown, but they have white or yellow stripes.
How big do they get? The average size changes depending on where they live. Males can grow to have a carapace (shell) length of about 19 cm (7.5 in). Females usually reach about 15 cm (5.9 in). Males are generally more common, bigger, and heavier than females. This might be because females eat less during the time they are carrying eggs.
Where They Live
Home and Habitat
Panulirus echinatus is found off the coast of northern Brazil. It also lives around Atlantic islands like Cape Verde, Saint Helena, Ascension Island, Tristan da Cunha, and the Canary Islands.
These lobsters usually live at depths of about 35 meters (115 ft). However, you will rarely find them deeper than 25 meters (82 ft). They like to live on rocks and among large stones. During the day, they hide in cracks and small caves to stay safe.
How They Live
What They Eat
The brown spiny lobster is active at night. It eats many different things and is an opportunistic browser. This means it will eat whatever food it can find. Scientists have looked at what's inside the stomachs of these lobsters caught near the Saint Peter and Saint Paul Archipelago. They found that fish was the biggest part of their diet. It's not clear if they caught the fish themselves as prey or if they were scavenging (eating dead fish).
Other things they eat include other Crustaceans. They also eat a green seaweed called Caulerpa racemosa, which is common where they live. Another important food source is calcareous algae. This is a type of algae they scrape off rocks. Eating this algae is probably very important for them to get enough calcium to build their hard shells. Sometimes, small rock pieces are found in their stomachs, but these were likely eaten by accident.
Family Life
Female lobsters carry their eggs under their tails, on their abdomens. They keep the eggs there for several months until they hatch. During this time, the females tend to hide more in cracks and eat less. Male lobsters, however, do not change their eating habits during the breeding season.
We don't know much about how the baby lobsters grow. But we do know that the tiny larvae (baby lobsters) float around in the ocean as plankton. Scientists found a late-stage larva (called a phyllosoma larva) far out in the ocean. By studying its mitochondrial DNA, they confirmed it belonged to this species.
Status
How Many Are There?
The brown spiny lobster lives in many places and seems to be very common in those areas. People catch these lobsters in most places where they are found. In Saint Helena and the Cape Verde Islands, they are caught for sale.
It's not clear if the number of lobsters is going up or down. But because people fish for them so much, their numbers have probably gone down over the years. However, female lobsters lay many eggs (this is called high fecundity). This means the brown spiny lobster can likely recover well and avoid disappearing from local areas. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has looked at its numbers. They have decided that its conservation status is of "least concern". This means they are not currently worried about it becoming endangered.
