''Panulirus pascuensis'' is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

spiny lobster Spiny lobsters, also known as langustas, langouste, or rock lobsters, are a family (Palinuridae) of about 60 species of achelate crustaceans, in the Decapoda Reptantia. Spiny lobsters are also, especially in Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, So ...

found around

Easter Island Easter Island ( rap, Rapa Nui; es, Isla de Pascua) is an island and special territory of Chile in the southeastern Pacific Ocean, at the southeasternmost point of the Polynesian Triangle in Oceania. The island is most famous for its ne ...

and the Pitcairn Islands in the Pacific Ocean. It is known in English as the Easter Island spiny lobster, in Spanish and in the

Rapa Nui language Rapa Nui or Rapanui (, Rapa Nui: , Spanish: ), also known as Pascuan () or ''Pascuense'', is an Eastern Polynesian language of the Austronesian language family. It is spoken on the island of Rapa Nui, also known as ''Easter Island''. The isl ...

. This lobster is fished on a small scale for local consumption.

Description

Adults grow to a total length of , with a carapace long. The antennal plate is visible in front of the carapace and has two large spines. The first pair of antennae are forked and the second pair are long, thick and spiny. There are long, slender flagella at the tips of the antennae. There are no

claws A claw is a curved, pointed appendage found at the end of a toe or finger in most amniotes (mammals, reptiles, birds). Some invertebrates such as beetles and spiders have somewhat similar fine, hooked structures at the end of the leg or tarsus ...

on the first four pairs of walking legs. The colour of this spiny lobster is dark greenish purple with pale transverse bands on the posterior edge of the abdominal segments. The base of the tail fan has pale spots and the antennae are a uniform colour. The walking legs have slender longitudinal pale stripes.

Distribution and habitat

''Panulirus pascuensis'' is native to the south eastern Pacific Ocean, round the coasts of Easter Island and Pitcairn Island at depths of up to . It is also reported from the

Austral Islands The Austral Islands (french: Îles Australes, officially ''Archipel des Australes;'' ty, Tuha'a Pae) are the southernmost group of islands in French Polynesia, an overseas country of the French Republic in the South Pacific. Geographically ...

in French Polynesia. It is found on rocky shores and tends to hide during the day under boulders and in crevices.

Biology

Like other spiny lobsters, ''Panulirus pascuensis'' feeds at night and is an omnivore and scavenger. Its diet consists of slow moving prey such as

molluscs Mollusca is the second-largest phylum of invertebrate animals after the Arthropoda, the members of which are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 85,000 extant species of molluscs are recognized. The number of fossil species is estim ...

echinoderm An echinoderm () is any member of the phylum Echinodermata (). The adults are recognisable by their (usually five-point) radial symmetry, and include starfish, brittle stars, sea urchins, sand dollars, and sea cucumbers, as well as the s ...

crustacean Crustaceans (Crustacea, ) form a large, diverse arthropod taxon which includes such animals as decapods, seed shrimp, branchiopods, fish lice, krill, remipedes, isopods, barnacles, copepods, amphipods and mantis shrimp. The crustacean group can ...

s and chitons, supplemented with fish carcases or other carrion. Although it has no crushing claws, its

mandible In anatomy, the mandible, lower jaw or jawbone is the largest, strongest and lowest bone in the human facial skeleton. It forms the lower jaw and holds the lower teeth in place. The mandible sits beneath the maxilla. It is the only movable bone ...

s are powerful and can break open bivalve and gastropod shells. The larvae spend over a year as part of the plankton before settling on the seabed and undergoing metamorphosis into juveniles.

Status

''Panulirus pascuensis'' is collected by hand or with a spear for human consumption on Easter and Pitcairn Islands. Gill nets and lobster pots are also sometimes used and at night a torch is employed. The IUCN has listed this lobster in the

Red List of Threatened Species The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data Book, founded in 1964, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biologi ...

as " Data Deficient" because insufficient information is available to assess its population size and trend. The main threat to this lobster may be tourism, as the Easter Islanders are keen to attract more visitors and the Easter Island spiny lobster is the seafood dish of choice to serve to them at local restaurants. It is a traditional food of the

Rapanui The Rapa Nui (Rapa Nui: , Spanish: ) are the Polynesians, Polynesian peoples Indigenous peoples of Oceania, indigenous to Easter Island. The easternmost Polynesian culture, the descendants of the original people of Easter Island make up about 60% ...

, the native Polynesian inhabitants of the island, and is represented on many rock engravings.

References

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q5234414 Achelata Edible crustaceans Crustaceans of the eastern Pacific Ocean Fauna of the Pitcairn Islands Fauna of Easter Island Crustaceans described in 1954 Pascuense cuisine