Geographic Range
Caribbean spiny lobsters live in western Atlantic tropical and subtropical waters,
ranging from North Carolina (including Bermuda) to Rio de Janiero, Brazil, as well
as the Gulf of Mexico and throughout the Caribbean.
- Biogeographic Regions
- nearctic
- neotropical
- atlantic ocean
Habitat
Adult caribbean spiny lobsters are benthic, living at depths up to 90 m. Larvae are
pelagic, moving into nearshore habitats as they grow. Juveniles are found in vegetation,
particularly in macroalgae and occasionally in large sponges. Adults are found offshore,
often in coral reefs, rocks, and eelgrass beds.
- Habitat Regions
- temperate
- tropical
- saltwater or marine
- Other Habitat Features
- intertidal or littoral
Physical Description
Caribbean spiny lobsters grow to approximately 45 cm in length, with an average of
20 cm. They grow throughout their lives and individuals close to 60 cm long have (rarely)
been found. Average weight can range from 51-251 gm. At 20 years of age, individuals
may weigh as much as 4.5 kg. These lobsters have small spikes covering the carapace.
Although males and females are typically the same length, males tend to have longer
carapaces. Adults have two long antennae (longer than the carapace), antennules (small
antennae, about two-thirds of the body length), and large eyes at the front of the
head. They have pleopods, which aid in swimming, and claws (quite different from the
large, pinching claws of Atlantic lobsters (
Homarus americanus
)). Caribbean spiny lobsters range from red to brown and blue in color. Adult lobsters
have brown, white, or yellow spots on their tails and orange-yellow and black stripes
on their tail fans. Their legs are striped with blue. Juveniles are purple in color.
- Other Physical Features
- ectothermic
- bilateral symmetry
- Sexual Dimorphism
- sexes shaped differently
Development
Eggs are bright orange and darken in color as embryos develop. They usually hatch
within 3 weeks of fertilization and, until hatching, adhere to the female's pleopods.
The female keeps her eggs well aerated and cleaned by using a pumping action of her
pleopods. Flat, leaf-shaped planktonic phyllosoma larvae hatch and are propelled away
from the female by flexation of her abdomen. They float on ocean currents, eventually
moving into shallower areas with seagrass. They migrate vertically throughout the
day, into shallower waters at night and deeper waters during daylight hours. Larvae
undergo 11 distinct phyllosoma stages, by which they metamorphose into pueruli, which
resemble adults but are smaller (about 34 mm at metamorphosis), colorless, and do
not feed or possess hard exoskeletons. After approximately 6 months, they molt and
metamorphose into juvenile lobsters. Juveniles are solitary and usually benthic. Throughout
their lives, these lobsters molt as they get larger. A new shell shows signs of hardening
within 12 days but is not completely hard until about 28 days later.
- Development - Life Cycle
- metamorphosis
- indeterminate growth
Reproduction
Male Caribbean spiny lobsters mate with many females, while the females only mate
with one male during a single reproductive episode (if they mate a second time in
a season, however, it is not necessarily with the same male). A male seeks out a female
and when he finds her, he uses his front legs to gently coax her out of her shelter.
The lobsters then lie belly-to-belly and the male releases a spermatophore onto the
female's tail or underside of her belly. She breaks the spermatophore open when the
eggs are ready to be fertilized.
- Mating System
- polygynandrous (promiscuous)
Caribbean spiny Lobsters mate from March through June or June through November, depending
on the population's geographical location. A female releases 500,000 to 2 million
eggs, once or twice each season. When eggs are ready to be fertilized, a female will
scratch open the spermatophore deposited by the male, resulting in external fertilization
(some consider this a form of delayed fertilization). A female carries fertilized
eggs on her pleopods for about a month, until they are ready to hatch; during this
time she is consdiered gravid or berried. Increasing embryonic pheromone levels indicate
readiness to hatch and trigger more vigorous pleopodal pumping by the female, helping
the eggs to hatch. It is estimated that these lobsters reach maturity by two years
of age (70-80 mm in length).
- Key Reproductive Features
- iteroparous
- seasonal breeding
- gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate)
- sexual
- fertilization
- oviparous
- sperm-storing
- delayed fertilization
After fertilization, female Caribbean spiny lobsters carry fertilized eggs on their
pleopods until hatching, at which time larvae are independent. Males do not exhibit
any parental investment beyond production of gametes.
- Parental Investment
-
pre-fertilization
- provisioning
-
protecting
- female
-
pre-hatching/birth
-
protecting
- female
-
protecting
Lifespan/Longevity
It is estimated that these lobsters live 12-20 years in the wild; age is typically
estimated by size.
Behavior
These lobsters exhibit a pattern of mass migration to deeper waters in single file
lines during daytime hours of autumn months. Up to 50 lobsters may be in any one line
and each animal maintains contact with the next by using their antennae. This migration
may be in order to locate more favorable temperatures or food sources. They are primarily
nocturnal, hiding in rock or coral crevices during the day. Caribbean spiny lobsters
also molt, shedding their exoskeletons and allowing for growth. When the lobsters
have just molted they are extremely vulnerable to predation, so they stay hidden in
the reef to avoid predators. In Floridian populations, these lobsters molt twice a
year, from March through July and from December through January; molting patterns
vary depending on locality and other populations are known to molt as many as four
times a year. Motling frequency declines with age/size.
Home Range
There is currently no published information regarding the home range and territory
size of this species.
Communication and Perception
Caribbean spiny lobsters use their antennules to sense water movements as well as
olfactory cues; females, for example, detect levels of pheromones produced by developing
embryos to judge time to hatching. They also have large compound eyes, which sense
light, color, and movement. They use their antennae to create sounds by rubbing plates
at the bases of their eyes, deterring predators. These lobsters can also detect magnetic
fields, which they use during migration.
- Other Communication Modes
- pheromones
- vibrations
- Perception Channels
- visual
- tactile
- vibrations
- chemical
- magnetic
Food Habits
Caribbean spiny lobsters are foragers and feed primarily on gastropods, bivalves,
and chitons. They also eat carrion and other organisms like crustaceans, worms, and
sea urchins. They are considered ominvorous, as there are records of them occasionally
eating vegetation. When feeding on animals with shells, Caribbean spiny lobsters use
their front legs to bring food close to them and then crush it with their mandibles.
- Primary Diet
-
carnivore
- eats non-insect arthropods
- molluscivore
- vermivore
- scavenger
- omnivore
- detritivore
- Animal Foods
- carrion
- mollusks
- aquatic or marine worms
- aquatic crustaceans
- echinoderms
- other marine invertebrates
- Plant Foods
- macroalgae
- Other Foods
- detritus
Predation
Many animals feed on these lobsters and their larvae. Predators of juvenile and adult
lobsters include sharks, rays, skates, sea turtles, moray eels, octopuses, crustaceans,
and fishes. Humans also catch and consume these lobsters. Caribbean spiny lobsters
avoid predation by hiding in crevices or spaces in reefs. When predators approach
these lobsters, they use their antennae to defend themselves. They rub a plectrum,
which is a nub like structure found on their antennae, against plates below their
eyes. The result is a screeching sound that plays a role in their defense against
predators, possibly scaring them away. This is known as the "stick and slip" mechanism.
Additionally, they may flip their tails forward, thrusting them quickly in another
direction, if threatened. This behavior is known as a "tail flip," and is usually
only seen in open areas.
Ecosystem Roles
Beyond their roles as predators and prey, these lobsters may be infected with a pathogenic
virus, PaV1 (
Panulirus argus
virus 1), the first known naturally occurring virus of a lobster, as well as a number
of parasites, bacteria, and fungi.
- Ecosystem Impact
- keystone species
- Panulirus argus virus 1
- Aerococcus viridans (Class Bacili , Phylum Firmicutes )
- Leucothrix mucor (Class Gammaproteobacteria , Phylum Proteobacteria )
- Vibrio alginolyticus (Class Gammaproteobacteria , Phylum Proteobacteria )
- Vibrio parahemolyticus (Class Gammaproteobacteria , Phylum Proteobacteria )
- Haliphthoros sp. (Class Peronosporea , Phylum Oomycota )
- Cymatocarpus solearis (Class Trematoda , Phylum Platyhelminthes )
- Balanomorpha (Class Maxillopoda , Phylum Arthropoda )
Economic Importance for Humans: Positive
These lobsters are commonly harvested for commercial purposes. They are second only
to shrimp in commercial importance to Florida fisheries; from 1987-2001, commercial
harvest totaled 94.6 million pounds. They are also popular with recreational fishermen.
- Positive Impacts
- food
Economic Importance for Humans: Negative
There are no known adverse effect of this species on humans.
Conservation Status
Caribbean spiny lobsters are categorized as "Data Deficient" by the IUCN. Restrictions
have been placed on fishing for these lobsters, mainly to prevent gravid females from
being caught and to allow juveniles to grow.
Additional Links
Contributors
Nadine Seudeal (author), University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, Jeremy Wright (editor), University of Michigan-Ann Arbor.
- Nearctic
-
living in the Nearctic biogeographic province, the northern part of the New World. This includes Greenland, the Canadian Arctic islands, and all of the North American as far south as the highlands of central Mexico.
- native range
-
the area in which the animal is naturally found, the region in which it is endemic.
- Neotropical
-
living in the southern part of the New World. In other words, Central and South America.
- native range
-
the area in which the animal is naturally found, the region in which it is endemic.
- Atlantic Ocean
-
the body of water between Africa, Europe, the southern ocean (above 60 degrees south latitude), and the western hemisphere. It is the second largest ocean in the world after the Pacific Ocean.
- native range
-
the area in which the animal is naturally found, the region in which it is endemic.
- temperate
-
that region of the Earth between 23.5 degrees North and 60 degrees North (between the Tropic of Cancer and the Arctic Circle) and between 23.5 degrees South and 60 degrees South (between the Tropic of Capricorn and the Antarctic Circle).
- tropical
-
the region of the earth that surrounds the equator, from 23.5 degrees north to 23.5 degrees south.
- saltwater or marine
-
mainly lives in oceans, seas, or other bodies of salt water.
- benthic
-
Referring to an animal that lives on or near the bottom of a body of water. Also an aquatic biome consisting of the ocean bottom below the pelagic and coastal zones. Bottom habitats in the very deepest oceans (below 9000 m) are sometimes referred to as the abyssal zone. see also oceanic vent.
- reef
-
structure produced by the calcium carbonate skeletons of coral polyps (Class Anthozoa). Coral reefs are found in warm, shallow oceans with low nutrient availability. They form the basis for rich communities of other invertebrates, plants, fish, and protists. The polyps live only on the reef surface. Because they depend on symbiotic photosynthetic algae, zooxanthellae, they cannot live where light does not penetrate.
- coastal
-
the nearshore aquatic habitats near a coast, or shoreline.
- intertidal or littoral
-
the area of shoreline influenced mainly by the tides, between the highest and lowest reaches of the tide. An aquatic habitat.
- ectothermic
-
animals which must use heat acquired from the environment and behavioral adaptations to regulate body temperature
- bilateral symmetry
-
having body symmetry such that the animal can be divided in one plane into two mirror-image halves. Animals with bilateral symmetry have dorsal and ventral sides, as well as anterior and posterior ends. Synapomorphy of the Bilateria.
- metamorphosis
-
A large change in the shape or structure of an animal that happens as the animal grows. In insects, "incomplete metamorphosis" is when young animals are similar to adults and change gradually into the adult form, and "complete metamorphosis" is when there is a profound change between larval and adult forms. Butterflies have complete metamorphosis, grasshoppers have incomplete metamorphosis.
- indeterminate growth
-
Animals with indeterminate growth continue to grow throughout their lives.
- polygynandrous
-
the kind of polygamy in which a female pairs with several males, each of which also pairs with several different females.
- iteroparous
-
offspring are produced in more than one group (litters, clutches, etc.) and across multiple seasons (or other periods hospitable to reproduction). Iteroparous animals must, by definition, survive over multiple seasons (or periodic condition changes).
- seasonal breeding
-
breeding is confined to a particular season
- sexual
-
reproduction that includes combining the genetic contribution of two individuals, a male and a female
- fertilization
-
union of egg and spermatozoan
- external fertilization
-
fertilization takes place outside the female's body
- oviparous
-
reproduction in which eggs are released by the female; development of offspring occurs outside the mother's body.
- sperm-storing
-
mature spermatozoa are stored by females following copulation. Male sperm storage also occurs, as sperm are retained in the male epididymes (in mammals) for a period that can, in some cases, extend over several weeks or more, but here we use the term to refer only to sperm storage by females.
- delayed fertilization
-
a substantial delay (longer than the minimum time required for sperm to travel to the egg) takes place between copulation and fertilization, used to describe female sperm storage.
- natatorial
-
specialized for swimming
- nocturnal
-
active during the night
- motile
-
having the capacity to move from one place to another.
- migratory
-
makes seasonal movements between breeding and wintering grounds
- sedentary
-
remains in the same area
- solitary
-
lives alone
- visual
-
uses sight to communicate
- tactile
-
uses touch to communicate
- acoustic
-
uses sound to communicate
- chemical
-
uses smells or other chemicals to communicate
- pheromones
-
chemicals released into air or water that are detected by and responded to by other animals of the same species
- vibrations
-
movements of a hard surface that are produced by animals as signals to others
- visual
-
uses sight to communicate
- tactile
-
uses touch to communicate
- vibrations
-
movements of a hard surface that are produced by animals as signals to others
- chemical
-
uses smells or other chemicals to communicate
- magnetic
-
(as perception channel keyword). This animal has a special ability to detect the Earth's magnetic fields.
- carrion
-
flesh of dead animals.
- macroalgae
-
seaweed. Algae that are large and photosynthetic.
- detritus
-
particles of organic material from dead and decomposing organisms. Detritus is the result of the activity of decomposers (organisms that decompose organic material).
- keystone species
-
a species whose presence or absence strongly affects populations of other species in that area such that the extirpation of the keystone species in an area will result in the ultimate extirpation of many more species in that area (Example: sea otter).
- food
-
A substance that provides both nutrients and energy to a living thing.
- carnivore
-
an animal that mainly eats meat
- molluscivore
-
eats mollusks, members of Phylum Mollusca
- scavenger
-
an animal that mainly eats dead animals
- omnivore
-
an animal that mainly eats all kinds of things, including plants and animals
- detritivore
-
an animal that mainly eats decomposed plants and/or animals
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