The behaviour of lobsters preying on live mussels (Mytilus edulis) was observed before and after chemosensory or chemosensory-mechanosensory deafferentation of different sensory appendages. Deafferentation of the antennules, leg tips, or maxillipeds (but not the carapace or proximal leg segments) interfered with feeding performance by causing an increase in the time necessary to crush a mussel ...

The acoustic behaviour of the European spiny lobster Palinurus elephas (Fabricius, 1787) was examined in the absence or presence of predators or conspecifics. Observations were conducted in a tank equipped with digital video and acoustic monitoring and recording systems using 25 adult lobsters and 5 common octopuses Octopus vulgaris. Single lobsters or groups of 4 lobsters were studied for 2 h....

Sociality has evolved in a wide range of animal taxa but infectious diseases spread rapidly in populations of aggregated individuals, potentially negating the advantages of their social interactions. To disengage from the coevolutionary struggle with pathogens, some hosts have evolved various forms of "behavioral immunity"; yet, the effectiveness of such behaviors in controlling epizootics in t...

1. Components of the escape response of the American lobster were compared over the molt cycle. Number of tailflips, frequency, duration and distance were measured. Velocity, acceleration, force and work were computed from the above measurements, using time-lapse video-recordings of escaping lobsters. 2. Soft-shelled postmolt lobsters (stage B) traveled further, spent more time tailflipping and...

In south Florida, Caribbean spiny lobsters (Panulirus argus) settle and spend their first few months in macroalgae or seagrass. After a few months, these “algal-phase” juveniles emerge from vegetation and, as “postalgal-phase” juveniles, seek refuge in crevices, often dwelling in groups. The importance of crevice shelters in determining the abundance of postalgal-phase juvenile spiny lobsters h...

we histologically determined lipofuscin content in eyestalk neural tissue to estimate the age and growth of Caribbean spiny lobster (Panulirus argus) in Florida, United States. Neurolipofuscin was measured from size-stratified samples of 145 lobsters from the Florida Keys and 119 lobsters from the Dry Tortugas, the two main fishing areas in Florida. Modal analysis of the neurolipofuscin concent...

Palinurid lobsters are being exploited with increasing intensity in coral reef ecosystems, but marine protected areas may play a key role in preventing overfishing and local extinctions. In order to define the spatial requirements for protection, we compared the spatial and temporal patterns in distribution, density, biomass, size structure, and reproductive seasonality of Caribbean spiny lobst...

For many species of lobsters, size at sexual maturity varies across spatially separated populations. This is so for two populations of Caribbean spiny lobster, Panulirus argus, in southern Florida, where females from open-fishing areas around the dry Tortugas mature at a larger size than females from open-fishing areas in the Florida Keys. Variations in onset of maturity between populations of ...

In 1999, a mass mortality of the American lobster (Homarus americanus) occurred in western Long Island Sound (WLIS). Although the etiology of this event remains unknown, bottom water temperature, hypoxia, heavy metal poisoning, and pesticides are potential causal factors. Lobsters from WLIS continue to display signs of morbidity, including lethargy and cloudy grey eyes that contain idiopathic l...