Scyllarus pygmaeus
Encyclopedia
Scyllarus pygmaeus is a species
of slipper lobster
that lives in shallow water in the Mediterranean Sea
and eastern Atlantic Ocean
. It grows to a length of 55 mm (2.2 in), which is too small for it to be fished for
. The juvenile form was first described in 1885, with the description of the adult following in 1888 as a result of the Challenger expedition
.
length of 11.5 millimetre (0.452755905511811 in) for females, and 10 mm (0.393700787401575 in) for males. The total body length can reach 55 mm (2.2 in), but is typically less than 40 mm (1.6 in). Its small size precludes S. pygmaeus from being a target for fisheries
. The body of S. pygmaeus is "pale brownish or pinkish with patches of darker hairs".
S. pygmaeus resembles a young individual of Scyllarus arctus
, with which it occurs in sympatry
. The two species can be distinguished by a suite of characters:
and islands in the eastern Atlantic Ocean
, including Madeira
, the Canary Islands
and the Cape Verde Islands
. It has not been observed off the coast of North Africa
further east than Morocco
. It lives at depths of 5–100 m (16.4–328.1 ), where it is nocturnal and at its shallower ranges lives in Posidonia
meadows. Females carry eggs
in June and August.
as part of the results of the Challenger expedition
. He based his description of "Arctus pygmaeus" on material from "off Gomera
" in the Canary Islands
. In the same publication, he also described "Arctus immaturus" from the Cape Verde
archipelago, which Eugène Louis Bouvier
realised in 1915 was simply the "nisto" (juvenile
) stage of S. pygmaeus. Applying the principle of first reviser
, Bouvier established that S. pygmaeus would be the valid name, over S. immaturus. Although S. pygmaeus is not rare in the Mediterranean Sea
, its presence there was overlooked for decades, due to the confusion between it and the more conspicuous S. arctus, whose immature form S. pygmaeus was often assumed to be. In 1960, Jacques Forest and Lipke Holthuis
demonstrated for the first time that S. pygmaeus does indeed occur in the Mediterranean Sea, from museum specimens at the in Naples
.
The juvenile "nisto" form of S. pygmaeus was named earlier than the adult form; Sarado described it in 1885 under the name Nisto laevis in his 1885 work ("Study of the crustaceans of Nice").
The English
vernacular name preferred by the Food and Agriculture Organization
is pygmy locust lobster, alongside the French
and the Spanish
.
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of slipper lobster
Slipper lobster
Slipper lobsters are a family of decapod crustaceans found in all warm oceans and seas. Despite their name, they are not true lobsters, but are more closely related to spiny lobsters and furry lobsters. Slipper lobsters are instantly recognisable by their enlarged antennae, which project forward...
that lives in shallow water in the Mediterranean Sea
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
and eastern Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
. It grows to a length of 55 mm (2.2 in), which is too small for it to be fished for
Lobster fishing
Lobster fishing, sometimes called lobstering, is the commercial or recreational harvesting of marine lobsters, spiny lobsters or crayfish.-Lobster tools and technology:...
. The juvenile form was first described in 1885, with the description of the adult following in 1888 as a result of the Challenger expedition
Challenger expedition
The Challenger expedition of 1872–76 was a scientific exercise that made many discoveries to lay the foundation of oceanography. The expedition was named after the mother vessel, HMS Challenger....
.
Description
S. pygmaeus is the smallest slipper lobster species, with a carapaceCarapace
A carapace is a dorsal 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 underside is called the plastron.-Crustaceans:In crustaceans, the...
length of 11.5 millimetre (0.452755905511811 in) for females, and 10 mm (0.393700787401575 in) for males. The total body length can reach 55 mm (2.2 in), but is typically less than 40 mm (1.6 in). Its small size precludes S. pygmaeus from being a target for fisheries
Lobster fishing
Lobster fishing, sometimes called lobstering, is the commercial or recreational harvesting of marine lobsters, spiny lobsters or crayfish.-Lobster tools and technology:...
. The body of S. pygmaeus is "pale brownish or pinkish with patches of darker hairs".
S. pygmaeus resembles a young individual of Scyllarus arctus
Scyllarus arctus
Scyllarus arctus is a species of slipper lobster which lives in the Mediterranean Sea and eastern Atlantic Ocean. It is uncommon in British and Irish waters, but a number of English-language vernacular names have been applied, including small European locust lobster, lesser slipper lobster and...
, with which it occurs in sympatry
Sympatry
In biology, two species or populations are considered sympatric when they exist in the same geographic area and thus regularly encounter one another. An initially-interbreeding population that splits into two or more distinct species sharing a common range exemplifies sympatric speciation...
. The two species can be distinguished by a suite of characters:
- The anterior part of the abdominalAbdomenIn vertebrates such as mammals the abdomen constitutes the part of the body between the thorax and pelvis. The region enclosed by the abdomen is termed the abdominal cavity...
tergites have a groove lined with hairs in S. pygmaeus but not in S. arctus. - S. arctus has a forward-pointing, pointed tip to the second adbominal sternites, while in S. pygmaeus it is rounded and points backwards.
- S. pygmaeus has a conical tubercleTubercleA tubercle is generally a wart-like projection, but it has slightly different meaning depending on which family of plants or animals it is used to refer to....
on the fifth thoracic somite, while the tubercle is compressed rather than conical in S. arctus. - The sculptured posterior part of the first abdominal somite is wider in the centre than at the edges in S. pygmaeus, while in S. arctus it is an even width throughout.
Distribution and ecology
Scyllarus pygmaeus has a wide distribution in the Mediterranean SeaMediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
and islands in the eastern Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
, including Madeira
Madeira
Madeira is a Portuguese archipelago that lies between and , just under 400 km north of Tenerife, Canary Islands, in the north Atlantic Ocean and an outermost region of the European Union...
, the Canary Islands
Canary Islands
The Canary Islands , also known as the Canaries , is a Spanish archipelago located just off the northwest coast of mainland Africa, 100 km west of the border between Morocco and the Western Sahara. The Canaries are a Spanish autonomous community and an outermost region of the European Union...
and the Cape Verde Islands
Cape Verde
The Republic of Cape Verde is an island country, spanning an archipelago of 10 islands located in the central Atlantic Ocean, 570 kilometres off the coast of Western Africa...
. It has not been observed off the coast of North Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
further east than Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
. It lives at depths of 5–100 m (16.4–328.1 ), where it is nocturnal and at its shallower ranges lives in Posidonia
Posidonia
Posidonia is a genus of flowering plants. It contains two to nine species of marine plants , found in the seas of the Mediterranean and around the south coast of Australia....
meadows. Females carry eggs
Egg (biology)
An egg is an organic vessel in which an embryo first begins to develop. In most birds, reptiles, insects, molluscs, fish, and monotremes, an egg is the zygote, resulting from fertilization of the ovum, which is expelled from the body and permitted to develop outside the body until the developing...
in June and August.
Taxonomic history
Scyllarus pygmaeus was first described in 1888 by Charles Spence BateCharles Spence Bate
Charles Spence Bate, or Spence Bate, FRS was a British zoologist and dentist, who who practiced first at Swansea, and then Plymouth, taking over his father's practice. He was an authority on the Crustacea, and a frequent correspondent of Charles Darwin, mostly concerning their shared interest in...
as part of the results of the Challenger expedition
Challenger expedition
The Challenger expedition of 1872–76 was a scientific exercise that made many discoveries to lay the foundation of oceanography. The expedition was named after the mother vessel, HMS Challenger....
. He based his description of "Arctus pygmaeus" on material from "off Gomera
La Gomera
La Gomera is one of Spain's Canary Islands, located in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Africa. In area, it is the second-smallest of the seven main islands of this group.- Political organization :...
" in the Canary Islands
Canary Islands
The Canary Islands , also known as the Canaries , is a Spanish archipelago located just off the northwest coast of mainland Africa, 100 km west of the border between Morocco and the Western Sahara. The Canaries are a Spanish autonomous community and an outermost region of the European Union...
. In the same publication, he also described "Arctus immaturus" from the Cape Verde
Cape Verde
The Republic of Cape Verde is an island country, spanning an archipelago of 10 islands located in the central Atlantic Ocean, 570 kilometres off the coast of Western Africa...
archipelago, which Eugène Louis Bouvier
Eugène Louis Bouvier
Eugène Louis Bouvier was a French entomologist and carcinologist. Bouvier was a professor at the Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle...
realised in 1915 was simply the "nisto" (juvenile
Juvenile (organism)
A juvenile is an individual organism that has not yet reached its adult form, sexual maturity or size. Juveniles sometimes look very different from the adult form, particularly in terms of their colour...
) stage of S. pygmaeus. Applying the principle of first reviser
Principle of the First Reviser
In zoology, the Principle of the First Reviser is one of the guiding principles of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature.It supplements the Principle of Priority, which states that the first published name takes precedence...
, Bouvier established that S. pygmaeus would be the valid name, over S. immaturus. Although S. pygmaeus is not rare in the Mediterranean Sea
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
, its presence there was overlooked for decades, due to the confusion between it and the more conspicuous S. arctus, whose immature form S. pygmaeus was often assumed to be. In 1960, Jacques Forest and Lipke Holthuis
Lipke Holthuis
Lipke Bijdeley Holthuis was a Dutch carcinologist, considered one of the "undisputed greats" of carcinology, and "the greatest carcinologist of our time"....
demonstrated for the first time that S. pygmaeus does indeed occur in the Mediterranean Sea, from museum specimens at the in Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
.
The juvenile "nisto" form of S. pygmaeus was named earlier than the adult form; Sarado described it in 1885 under the name Nisto laevis in his 1885 work ("Study of the crustaceans of Nice").
The English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
vernacular name preferred by the Food and Agriculture Organization
Food and Agriculture Organization
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations is a specialised agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger. Serving both developed and developing countries, FAO acts as a neutral forum where all nations meet as equals to negotiate agreements and...
is pygmy locust lobster, alongside the French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
and the Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
.