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Small European locust lobster

Distribution : Mediterranean

A night dive may reveal the lesser slipper lobster walking outside its refuge, in contrast to the discretion of its days spent in cavities. Its life cycle brings another difference: the transparent larvae bear little resemblance to the crustacean encountered on the seabed.

Habitat of Small European locust lobster Habitat
Rocky habitat, Seagrass meadow, Detrital bottom
Depth range of Small European locust lobster Depth
2-50 m
Biological group of Small European locust lobster Group
Ecological role of Small European locust lobster Role
Predator

WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE?

The lesser slipper lobster has a flattened, jointed, reddish-brown body reaching up to sixteen centimetres in total length. Its large antennae form rounded plates with notched edges. Widely spaced eyes lie on either side of the front of the body.

The shell bears several lengthwise ridges and small pale points. Three red bands cross the upper abdomen, and blue rings mark the legs. This combination is more useful for recognition than size alone.

WHERE DOES IT LIVE?

It hides in cavities on rocky seabeds and in caves. It also uses seagrass and bottoms containing shell fragments or other remains. Diving records range from a few metres to around fifty metres deep.

It occurs in the Mediterranean and eastern Atlantic. Activity is mainly nocturnal. A dive light or a direct approach can interrupt its movements and send it back into shelter.

WHAT DOES IT EAT?

It feeds on small molluscs and worms found on the seabed. These animals are prey, whereas seagrass plants form part of the habitat it moves through.

Available accounts describe its meals in less detail than those of the Mediterranean slipper lobster. It would therefore be misleading to assign it every hunting technique documented in its larger relative.

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Small European locust lobster

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