The Small European Locust Lobster is a species in the order of Decapoda and thus belongs to the subphylum of crustaceans. Scyllarus arctus was first described by Linnaeus in 1758.
Description, Characteristics & Anatomy
The Small European Locust Lobster has an elongated body with brown and beige colouring. There are also orange and blue tones on the abdomen. There are plate-shaped antennas at the head.
Scyllarus arctus grows up to 15cm long.
Habitat & Distribution
The Small European Locust Lobster lives on sandy, rocky or stony ground and in seagrass meadows, in depths between 5 and 50m. It can also be found in crevices, holes or caves.
It is a rare species when scuba diving in the Canary Islands. However, at some dive sites you can watch it regularly.
Its general range extends across the Mediterranean Sea, the Red Sea and the Atlantic Ocean from the south of the British Isles, through the Azores, Madeira, Morocco to Western Sahara.
Biology
Scyllarus arctus is a nocturnal hunter. Its preferred diet consists of destritus, mussels and snails.
The females carry eggs from February to April.
References