Painted spiny lobster
Panulirus versicolor
- Scientific name
- Panulirus versicolor
- Group
- Crustaceans
- Rarity
- Rare
- Where to see it
- Indo-Pacific & Red Sea
- Conservation status (IUCN)
- Least concern
Did you know?
The painted spiny lobster is easy to spot thanks to its black-and-white striped antennae and its brilliant blue-green patterned shell. Like other spiny lobsters, it has no large claws and relies on its long, spiky antennae for defense.
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.
Other species in this group
- Common hermit crab
- Green shore crab
- Caribbean spiny lobster
- Skunk cleaner shrimp
- Spinous spider crab
- Common prawn