Spiny Lobsters & Slipper Lobsters

Despite their name, the Australian spiny lobsters and slipper lobsters lack the large, powerful claws that are the hallmark of the marine 'clawed' lobsters from the northern hemisphere. The two most common families are the Palinuridae (spiny lobsters) and the Scyllaridae (slipper lobsters). Slipper lobsters such as the Moreton Bay Bug and the Smooth Fan Lobster are both commercially fished, as is the Ornate Spiny Lobster, although the latter is collected mostly by hand. An ancient group, their fossil history stretches back to the Lower Triassic (about 150-200 million years ago).

Examples of this group include:

  • Moreton Bay Bug (Thenus parindicus)
  • Smooth Fan Lobster (Ibacus brucei)
  • Ornate Spiny Lobster (Panulirus ornatus)
  • Coral Rock Lobster (Panulirus longipes bispinosus)

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