''Ibacus peronii'', the Balmain bug or butterfly fan lobster, is a

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

slipper lobster Slipper lobsters are a family (biology), family (Scyllaridae) of about 90 species of Achelata, achelate crustaceans, in the Decapoda clade Reptantia, found in all warm oceans and seas. They are not lobster, true lobsters, but are more closely rel ...

. It lives in shallow waters around

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

and is the subject of small-scale fishery. It is a flattened, reddish brown animal, up to long and wide, with flattened antennae and no claws.

Description

In common with other

s, ''Ibacus peronii'' has a broad, flattened body and a large

carapace A carapace is a dorsal (upper) section of the exoskeleton or shell in a number of animal groups, including arthropods, such as crustaceans and arachnids, as well as vertebrates, such as turtles and tortoises. In turtles and tortoises, the unde ...

. The carapace is reddish brown, and reaches lengths of , with the whole animal able to reach a length of , and a width of . The antennae are also long and broad, and the flattened form of the whole animal allows it to partly penetrate itself in soft substrates. They have five pairs of legs and no claws. Captured animals typically weigh around , but the weight can range from . Female ''Ibacus peronii'' grows faster and reaches larger sizes in comparison to male ''Ibacus peronii''. The size of female ''Ibacus peronii'' is significant because there is a linear relationship between the fecundity and the carapace length. The species is often confused with the

Moreton Bay bug ''Thenus orientalis'' is a species of slipper lobster from the Indian and Pacific oceans. ''T. orientalis'' is known by a number of common names. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization prefers the name flathead lobster, while i ...

, ''Thenus orientalis'', but they can be distinguished by the placement of the eyes: the eyes of ''I. peronii'' are near the claws, while those of ''T. orientalis'' are at the margin of the legs.

Distribution and ecology

It is found at depths of off the coast of

from

Southport Southport is a seaside resort, seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. It lies on the West Lancashire Coastal Plain, West Lancashire coastal plain and the east coast of the Irish Sea, approximately north of ...

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

Geraldton Geraldton (Wajarri language, Wajarri: ''Jambinu'', Wilunyu language, Wilunyu: ''Jambinbirri'') is a coastal city in the Mid West (Western Australia), Mid West region of Western Australia, north of the state capital, Perth. As of the , Geraldt ...

Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...

. A further population exists in

from

Port Hedland A port is a maritime law, maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge Affreightment, cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inla ...

to Broome. A Specimen was found in Port Phillip bay in July 2016. ''Ibacus peronii'' is

nocturnal Nocturnality is a ethology, behavior in some non-human animals characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal", versus diurnality, diurnal meaning the opposite. Nocturnal creatur ...

and feeds on

algae Algae ( , ; : alga ) is an informal term for any organisms of a large and diverse group of photosynthesis, photosynthetic organisms that are not plants, and includes species from multiple distinct clades. Such organisms range from unicellular ...

and small

crustacean Crustaceans (from Latin meaning: "those with shells" or "crusted ones") are invertebrate animals that constitute one group of arthropods that are traditionally a part of the subphylum Crustacea (), a large, diverse group of mainly aquatic arthrop ...

s. They often spend the daytime buried in sand or mud.

Fishery

''Ibacus peronii'' is the most commercially important species in the genus '' Ibacus''. Only wild-caught ''Ibacus peronii'' are available, although some research into

aquaculture Aquaculture (less commonly spelled aquiculture), also known as aquafarming, is the controlled cultivation ("farming") of aquatic organisms such as fish, crustaceans, mollusks, algae and other organisms of value such as aquatic plants (e.g. Nelu ...

is ongoing. The fishery for ''I. peronii'' is focussed around

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

, where it is mainly caught as

bycatch Bycatch (or by-catch), in the fishing industry, is a fish or other marine species that is caught unintentionally while fishing for specific species or sizes of wildlife. Bycatch is either the wrong species, the wrong sex, or is undersized or juve ...

trawling Trawling is an industrial method of fishing that involves pulling a fishing net through the water behind one or more boats. The net used for trawling is called a trawl. This principle requires netting bags which are towed through water to catch di ...

for fish and prawns. There is a peak in supply in January and February, and the price is highest in areas where it is caught, because of its increased familiarity and popularity there. ''I. peronii'' is almost always available at

fish market A fish market is a marketplace for selling Fish as food, fish and fish products. It can be dedicated to wholesale trade between Fisherman, fishermen and fish merchants, or to the sale of seafood to individual consumers, or to both. Retail fish ma ...

s in Sydney. The flesh of ''I. peronii'' is sometimes reported as tasting of

garlic Garlic (''Allium sativum'') is a species of bulbous flowering plants in the genus '' Allium''. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chives, Welsh onion, and Chinese onion. Garlic is native to central and south Asia, str ...

, which makes the species less desirable than the

, ''Thenus orientalis'', for cooking. Only the tail contains edible meat. Small individuals yield 30% meat, while larger animals, which have proportionally smaller tails, have lower yields.

Naming

The species ''Ibacus peronii'' was described by

William Elford Leach William Elford Leach (2 February 1791 – 25 August 1836) was an English zoologist and marine biologist. Life and work Elford Leach was born at Hoe Gate, Plymouth, the son of an attorney. At the age of twelve he began a medical apprenticesh ...

in 1815, based on material collected by

François Péron François Auguste Péron (22 August 1775 – 14 December 1810) was a French naturalist and explorer. Life Péron was born in Cérilly, Allier, in 1775, the son of a tailor (not a harness maker as is frequently asserted). Although intended fo ...

. Péron had labelled the animal ''Scyllarus incisus'', and had previously called it ''Scyllarus kingiensis''. Although the type locality was given simply as " New Holland" (now

), historical records demonstrate that the animal was caught off King Island, in the

Bass Strait Bass Strait () is a strait separating the island state of Tasmania from the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland (more specifically the coast of Victoria (Australia), Victoria, with the exception of the land border across Boundary Islet). The ...

between

Tasmania Tasmania (; palawa kani: ''Lutruwita'') is an island States and territories of Australia, state of Australia. It is located to the south of the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland, and is separated from it by the Bass Strait. The sta ...

and the Australian mainland.

Common name In biology, a common name of a taxon or organism (also known as a vernacular name, English name, colloquial name, country name, popular name, or farmer's name) is a name that is based on the normal language of everyday life; and is often con ...

s used in Australia for ''Ibacus peronii'' include ''Balmain bug'' (after the inner Sydney suburb of Balmain), ''Eastern Balmain bug'', ''butterfly lobster'', ''flapjack'', ''Péron's Ibacus crab'', ''sand crayfish'', ''sand lobster'', ''southern shovel-nosed lobster'', ''prawn killer'' and ''squagga'', although the last two are not in current use. The named preferred by the

Food and Agriculture Organization The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations; . (FAO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger and improve nutrition and food security. Its Latin motto, , translates ...

is ''butterfly fan lobster''. Although it is most widely known as the "Balmain bug", three other species of '' Ibacus'' share that name.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2215329 Achelata Crustaceans of Australia Edible crustaceans Crustaceans described in 1815

Description

Distribution and ecology

Fishery

Naming

See also

References