Mediterranean Slipper Lobster

Crustacean

Identification & Biology

• IdentificationA large, flat-bodied lobster with a broad, shovel-shaped head and no long antennae or large claws. The body is reddish-brown to orange and heavily armoured. The flattened antennae form wide, plate-like structures used for digging.
• SizeBody length up to 45 cm. Weight up to 2 kg. One of the largest slipper lobster species.
• Social HabitSolitary and nocturnal. Hides in caves and deep crevices during the day. Extremely wary and difficult to approach.
• HabitatRocky reefs, caves, and boulder fields with deep shelter. Prefers areas with clean, hard substrate.
• Depth4 to 100 m. Most common between 10 and 50 m.
• Feeds OnMussels, oysters, barnacles, and other hard-shelled invertebrates, which it crushes with its powerful mouthparts.
• DistributionMediterranean Sea and adjacent eastern Atlantic. Rare throughout its range due to overfishing.
• DescriptionScyllarides latus is one of the most heavily overexploited crustaceans in the Mediterranean. Once common, it has been fished almost to the point of local extinction in many areas. In Malta, sightings are rare and usually in deep caves or protected areas. The species is listed on Annex III of the Barcelona Convention, which prohibits its capture. Any sighting should be reported to local marine conservation authorities.