Taxonomy of Shellfish

Unit 8 - Taxonomy of lobsters

8.3. Key to the important families of lobsters

Family Palinuridae

• Tubular body.
• Carapace without a rostrum or with a very rudimentary one.
• Legs without true pincers.
• First pair not enlarged (except in Justitia).
• Antennae enlarged, cylindrical, longer than body.
• Carapace rounded in section (subcylindrical) without a distinct median rostrum, ornamented with spines and granules of various sizes.'
• Each eye protected by a strong, spiny frontal projection of the carapace (frontal horns).
• Hairs on carapace, if present few and scattered.
• Antennae long and whip-like.
• Antennules slender, each consisting of a segmented peduncle and 2 long or short flagella.
• Tail powerful with a well-developed fan.
• Abdominal segments either smooth or with one or more transverse grooves.
• Legs without true pincers or chelae (except the 5th pair of legs of the female, which ends in a very small pincers), the 1st pair usually not greatly enlarged.