Caribbean spiny lobster
Panulirus argus
- Scientific name
- Panulirus argus
- Group
- Crustaceans
- Rarity
- Common
- Where to see it
- Caribbean & Tropical Atlantic
- Conservation status (IUCN)
- Data deficient
Did you know?
Unlike true lobsters, the Caribbean spiny lobster has no large claws — it relies on its spiny shell and long antennae for defense. It's known for sometimes migrating in single-file lines across the seafloor, dozens of individuals lined up antenna-to-tail.
What defines this group — Crustaceans
Armoured arthropods: crabs, shrimp and lobsters, all built around an external shell.
- The skeleton is on the outside; growing means shedding it — the moult.
- Jointed legs in pairs, often reshaped into claws or antennae.
- The larvae drift with the plankton in open water before settling on the bottom.