Biodiversity & Conservation

European spiny lobster - Palinurus elephas - General information

Palinurus elephas

Image Keith Hiscock - Two spiny lobsters. Image width ca 60 cm.
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Distribution map

Palinurus elephas recorded (dark blue bullet) and expected (light blue bullet) distribution in Britain and Ireland (see below)

Why do the maps differ?

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  • UK_BAP

General information

Key Icon Researched by: Angus Jackson, Charlotte Marshall and Cat Wilding Text page icon Refereed by: This information is not refereed.

Taxonomy icon Taxonomy

Phylum Arthropoda Arthropods, joint-legged animals, e.g. insects, crustaceans & spiders
Class Malacostraca Crabs, lobsters, sand hoppers and sea slaters
Map icon Recorded distribution in Britain and Ireland The main populations are confined to the west coast of Scotland, the extreme south-west coasts of England & Wales and the west coast of Ireland. See 'additional information' in Habitat section.
Habitat information icon Habitat information Lives subtidally on rocky, exposed coasts in the circalittoral zone.
Text page icon Description A large spiny lobster, growing up to 60 cm in total length, with a stout, heavily armoured body. The colour is usually orange dorsally with darker spines and white underneath but brown, sandy and purple morphs are occasionally found (Hunter et al., 1996; Hunter, 1999). It has numerous sharp spines on the carapace, over much of the abdomen and on the larger appendages. There are two long antennae and small hook-like claws.

This review can be cited as follows:

Angus Jackson, Charlotte Marshall and Cat Wilding 2009. Palinurus elephas. European spiny lobster. Marine Life Information Network: Biology and Sensitivity Key Information Sub-programme [on-line]. Plymouth: Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom. [cited 20/06/2013]. Available from: <http://www.marlin.ac.uk/speciesfullreview.php?speciesID=4022>