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 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Malacostraca |
| Order: | Decapoda |
| Suborder: | Pleocyemata |
| Infraorder: | Anomura |
| Family: | Galatheidae |
| Genus: | Galathea |
| Species: | G. squamifera
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| Binomial name | |
| Galathea squamifera | |
Description edit
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 edit
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]
References edit
- ^ a b "Galathea squamifera Leach, 1814". WoRMS. World Register of Marine Species. 2023. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
- ^ John Edward Gray (1850). "Part IV. Crustacea". List of the specimens of British animals in the collection of the British Museum (PDF). British Museum.
- ^ a b c 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.
- ^ a b c d S. J. Rowley (2008). "Galathea squamifera, a squat lobster". Marine Life Information Network. Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Organisms preying on Galathea squamifera". SeaLifeBase. Retrieved February 15, 2009.