Galathea squamifera

Galathea squamifera, the black squat lobster,[1] or Montagu's plated lobster,[2] is a species of squat lobster that lives in the north-east Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea.

Galathea squamifera
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Arthropoda
Subphylum:
Crustacea
Class:
Malacostraca
Order:
Decapoda
Family:
Galatheidae
Genus:
Galathea
Species:
G. squamifera
Binomial name
Galathea squamifera
Leach, 1814 [1]

Description

Adults are up to 65 millimetres (2.6 in) long, with a carapace 32 mm (1.3 in) long; the body is chestnut brown with a green tinge, and the spines projecting from the carapace are red at the tips.[3] The rostrum is triangular in shape with four spines on either side.[4] The first pair of pereiopods are 1½ times as long as the body, and have well-developed claws.[4]

Distribution and ecology

G. squamifera is found from Norway to the Azores and in the Mediterranean Sea,[3] and is the most commonly found species of squat lobster on the shores of Northern Europe.[4] It lives between the low water mark and depths of about 70 metres (230 ft),[3] under stones and in rock fissures.[4]

G. squamifera is chiefly nocturnal,[5] and catches passing prey, such as small fish, with its claws. Species which feed on G. squamifera include the fishes Scorpaena porcus and Serranus atricauda.[6]

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References
  1. C. Fransen, M. Türkay. "Galathea squamifera Leach, 1814". World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved February 15, 2009.
  2. John Edward Gray (1850). "Part IV. Crustacea". List of the specimens of British animals in the collection of the British Museum (PDF). British Museum.
  3. M. J. de Kluijver & S. S. Ingalsuo. "Galathea squamifera". Macrobenthos of the North Sea: Crustacea. Universiteit van Amsterdam. Archived from the original on June 8, 2011. Retrieved February 15, 2009.
  4. S. J. Rowley (2008). "Galathea squamifera, a squat lobster". Marine Life Information Network. Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom.
  5. S. de Grave & J. R. Turner (1997). "Activity rhythms of the squat lobsters, Galathea squamifera and G. strigosa (Crustacea: Decapoda: Anomura) in south-west Ireland" (PDF). Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom. 77: 273–276. doi:10.1017/S002531540003397X.
  6. "Organisms preying on Galathea squamifera". SeaLifeBase. Retrieved February 15, 2009.
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