European Spiny Lobster

Palinurus elephas

Family: Palinuridae | Genus: Palinurus

The European spiny lobster (Palinurus elephas) is a large crustacean, easily recognised by its reddish-orange colouring and the absence of claws on its front legs, which distinguishes it from true lobsters. It belongs to a group commonly known as spiny lobsters, also referred to as rock lobsters in certain regions. It is a slow-growing and relatively long-lived species, capable of reaching up to 25 years under optimal conditions.

Notably, it is also the most commercially valuable spiny lobster species in European waters.

Distribución geográfica

This species lives along the eastern Atlantic coast, from Norway down to Morocco, and is also widespread across the Mediterranean.

Habitat

They live in caves and crevices within rocky seabeds and coral reefs, favouring environments such as:

Rocky bottoms with abundant shelters, typically between 5 and 200 metres deep
Caves, cracks and fissures where they remain hidden during the day
Coral reefs and areas with hard substrates
Zones rich in hard-shelled invertebrates

Lifestyle and behaviour

Slow-growing and mainly active at night, it shows no signs of cannibalism—something uncommon among crustaceans. It can also swim backwards and uses its antennae and legs to handle food.

Social behaviour:

May live alone, in pairs or in groups, depending on the availability of shelter and resources
Can form aggregations in areas with numerous caves
Undertakes long migrations, moving in single-file lines along the seabed; individuals often link their antennae to the tail of the one ahead to avoid becoming separated

Daily activity:

Nocturnal: emerges from shelters at night to feed, remaining hidden in caves and crevices during the day
Predatory activity focused on benthic invertebrates
Uses its long antennae both to explore its surroundings and to defend itself from predators

Reproduction:

Oviparous species
Larger females spawn earlier in the breeding season
Smaller females tend to spawn towards the end of the season
Females carry the eggs on their abdomen, cleaning and handling them with the fifth pair of legs
Undertakes two migrations per year: from November to March it usually moves to deeper waters, returning to shallower areas in spring to reproduce

Relationship with its environment:

A benthic predator that helps regulate populations of other invertebrates
As it grows, it may incorporate algae and fish remains into its diet, although these never form a significant proportion
A territorial species that depends on rocky shelters

Diet

In the wild

Omnivorous, though primarily carnivorous
Feeds on hard-shelled invertebrates such as molluscs, echinoderms and crustaceans
Also consumes worms
Larger individuals may include algae and fish remains, though in smaller amounts

Under human care

A varied diet, mainly alternating between different types of fish and molluscs

Conservation status

Lista roja IUCN Rana arborícola verde (Litoria Caerulea)

The European spiny lobster (Palinurus elephas) is classified as Vulnerable (VU) on the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature, with a decreasing population trend.

Its high commercial value, combined with the expansion of fishing activity since the 1980s, has led to the collapse of Atlantic fisheries and the overexploitation of Mediterranean stocks.

Main threats:

Historical overfishing, which has caused population declines and collapses
High commercial value, encouraging illegal fishing despite restrictions in certain areas
Slow growth, which limits population recovery
Degradation of coastal rocky habitats