Patagonian lobsterette facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Thymops birsteini
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Subphylum:	Crustacea
Class:	Malacostraca
Order:	Decapoda
Family:	Nephropidae
Genus:	Thymops Holthuis, 1974
Species:	T. birsteini
Binomial name
Thymops birsteini (Zarenkov & Semenov, 1972)
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Synonyms
Nephropides birsteini Zarenkov & Semenov, 1972

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The Patagonian lobsterette, also known as Thymops birsteini, is a type of lobster. You can find it living near the coasts of South America. It's especially common in the South Atlantic Ocean. This lobster is the only species in its group, called Thymops.

Where Does It Live?

The Patagonian lobsterette lives on the continental shelf around South America. This is the underwater land that extends from the continent. It is found a lot in the Argentine Sea.

Atlantic Ocean Homes

In the Atlantic Ocean, you can find this lobster south of 37° south latitude. This means it lives from Uruguay all the way down to colder waters.

Pacific Ocean Homes

On the Chilean side, which is in the Pacific Ocean, it lives south of 51° south latitude. Its home area also includes places near the Falkland Islands and South Georgia Island. It can live as far south as 57°, which is close to the Antarctic Peninsula. This lobster lives in deep waters, from about 120 to 1,500 meters (390 to 4,900 feet) deep.

What Does It Look Like?

The Patagonian lobsterette looks like a typical lobster. It has two big claws at the front. It also has four other pairs of legs, called pereiopods, for walking. Its long tail, called a pleon, helps it swim.

Body Features

The top shell, called the carapace, feels bumpy. It's especially bumpy near the front. The lobster also has a pointy part on its head called a rostrum. This rostrum splits into two points at its tip.

Size and Color

These lobsters can be anywhere from 8 to 25 centimeters (3 to 10 inches) long. Their top shell can be 2 to 10 centimeters (0.8 to 4 inches) long. Smaller lobsters are usually found in shallower water. Bigger ones live in deeper water, sometimes as deep as 1,400 meters (4,600 feet). Their color can also change depending on where they live. Lobsters from the north are pale yellow. Those from further south are a deep maroon color.

How Does It Live?

Scientists don't know much about how the Patagonian lobsterette interacts with other animals. It is sometimes eaten by a fish called the Patagonian toothfish. This lobster seems to like living on muddy bottoms. People have seen it going into and coming out of burrows in the mud.

Life Cycle and Reproduction

Like other lobsters, the female Patagonian lobsterette carries her eggs on her tail legs, called pleopods. One female can carry up to 380 eggs. Each egg is about 1.5 to 1.9 millimeters (0.06 to 0.07 inches) wide. As the eggs grow, they get bigger, reaching about 2.9 to 3.3 millimeters (0.11 to 0.13 inches).

Larvae

When the eggs hatch, the baby lobsters are called larvae. These newly hatched larvae have a carapace (top shell) length of about 1.7 to 2.2 millimeters (0.07 to 0.09 inches). There are fewer larvae than eggs, with a maximum of 43 larvae seen on one female. This long time for larvae to be released is common for lobsters in cold, sub-Antarctic areas. It's a way they have adapted to the low temperatures. It also means it takes a long time for the eggs to develop, and the female doesn't produce as many offspring overall.

Can People Eat It?

People say the meat of the Patagonian lobsterette tastes excellent. Some think that this species could be caught and sold for food if enough of them could be found. An average lobster caught weighs about 150 grams (5.3 ounces). About 30% of that weight, or 45 grams (1.6 ounces), is the meaty tail. Fishermen typically catch about 19 kilograms (42 pounds) of these lobsters in a day.