''Grimothea monodon'', also known as the red squat 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), ...

squat lobster Squat lobsters are dorsoventrally flattened crustaceans with long tails held curled beneath the cephalothorax. They are found in the two superfamilies Galatheoidea and Chirostyloidea, which form part of the decapod infraorder Anomura, alongs ...

from the south-eastern Pacific Ocean, where it is the subject of commercial

fishery Fishery can mean either the enterprise of raising or harvesting fish and other aquatic life or, more commonly, the site where such enterprise takes place ( a.k.a., fishing grounds). Commercial fisheries include wild fisheries and fish far ...

alongside the species '' Grimothea johni''.

Fishery

The fishery of ''G. monodon'' in Chile is divided into two areas, of which the southern unit is the more important. The

artisan An artisan (from , ) is a skilled craft worker who makes or creates material objects partly or entirely by hand. These objects may be functional or strictly decorative, for example furniture, decorative art, sculpture, clothing, food ite ...

al fishery of ''G. monodon'' was banned in the southern unit for three years, from 1980 to 1982, in an attempt to restore the collapsing population. Afterwards,

quotas Quota may refer to: Economics * Import quota, a restriction on the quantity of goods that can be imported into a country * Market Sharing Quota, an economic system used in Canadian agriculture * Milk quota, a quota on milk production in Europe * ...

were put in place to limit the fishery, although another three-year ban, was required from 1989 to 1991. Fishing for ''G. monodon'' has again resumed, but at far lower levels than before the initial regulation.

Distribution

''Grimothea monodon'' is found in the western Pacific Ocean between 41° S off Chile and 15° N off Mexico.

Life cycle

''Grimothea monodon'' produces small

eggs An egg is an organic vessel in which an embryo begins to develop. Egg, EGG or eggs may also refer to: Biology * Egg cell, the female reproductive cell (gamete) in oogamous organisms Food * Eggs as food Places * Egg, Austria * Egg, Switzerland ...

, in clutches of up to nearly 34,000; the

larvae A larva (; : larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into their next life stage. Animals with indirect developmental biology, development such as insects, some arachnids, amphibians, or cnidarians typical ...

that hatch from them pass through five

planktotrophic Marine larval ecology is the study of the factors influencing dispersing larvae, which many marine invertebrates and fishes have. Marine animals with a larva typically release many larvae into the water column, where the larvae develop before meta ...

zoea Crustaceans may pass through a number of larval and immature stages between hatching from their eggs and reaching their adult form. Each of the stages is separated by a moult, in which the hard exoskeleton is shed to allow the animal to grow. The ...

l stages, over the course of around 55 days.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q14124308 Squat lobsters Crustaceans of the eastern Pacific Ocean Crustaceans described in 1837 Taxa named by Henri Milne-Edwards