Malacostracans · Decapoda · Palinuridae

Caribbean Spiny Lobster

Panulirus argus

Data Deficient

There is not enough information to assess its risk of extinction. See full glossary

Its complex life cycle runs through six distinct phases across three different habitats — the open ocean, shallow vegetated coastal waters and coral reefs — going from under a gram as a larva to as much as 5 kilograms as an adult.

Weight

500 g – 5 kg

Size

20 cm – 45 cm

Lifespan

13 years

Diet

Omnivore

Combines animal and plant food depending on availability.

Activity

Nocturnal

Active mainly at night.

Social structure

Solitary

Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.

Sighting difficulty

Unknown

OceanOmnivore Nocturnal Solitary Ocean Crustacean

35countries 10parks 112dive sites2same family

Fun facts

Its life cycle runs through six phases across three different habitats, from the open ocean to the reef.
It communicates by rasping a spine on its antennae against plates beneath its eyes to produce a creaking sound.
It can lay up to 2,000,000 eggs in a single clutch.
comportamientoIt migrates in long queues of dozens of animals nose to tail, navigating partly by sensing magnetic fields.
sentidosIt can detect subtle changes in the Earth's magnetic field, an ability it uses alongside chemical cues to navigate during its mass single-file migrations.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Invertebrate - calcified exoskeleton (crustacean)
Habitat & environment: Coral reefs, seagrass beds and mangroves of the Caribbean, the Gulf of Mexico and the subtropical western Atlantic
Birth weight: A transparent, flattened phyllosoma larva at hatching, weighing less than 1 gram
Size at birth: A phyllosoma larva with a long pelagic life, moulting up to 11 times over 6-12 months
Sexual maturity: 2 years (70-80 mm of carapace length)
Gestation / incubation: About 1 month beneath the female's abdomen after external fertilisation
Litter / clutch size: 500,000 to 2,000,000 eggs per clutch, once or twice a season

Sources consulted: SeaLifeBase; Animal Diversity Web; Fish Consulting Group; CRFM Regional Overview; Florida State University (life history synopsis); PMC (egg predator reproductive performance study)