FAO Species Identification Guide for Fishery Purposes Western

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Palinuridae 1019
Panulirus penicillatus (Olivier, 1791)
Frequent synonyms / misidentifications: None / None.
FAO names: En - Pronghorn spiny lobster;
Fr - Langouste fourchette; Sp - Langosta
horquilla.
Diagnostic characters: Carapace rounded
and spiny, with branchiostegal areas slightly
inflated; rostrum absent; anterior margin armed
with 4 large and regularly spaced large spines
other than frontal horns; height of frontal
horns about 2 times the eye height; median
area behind frontal horns with a longitudinal
row of spinules. Antennules with flagella
longer than peduncle; antennular plate at
bases of antennae armed with 4 close-set
principal spines (posterior pair larger).First
4 pairs of legs without pincers. Abdominal
segments with a transverse groove, not
continuous with pleural groove; anterior
margins of pleura spinous. Posterior half of
tail fan soft and flexible. Colour: body dark blue
and brown; males usually darker than females.
Eyes black. Tips of large spines on carapace
yellowish. Antennular peduncle striped with
white lines, flagella uniformly brownish;
membranous areas at outer base of antenna
light blue. Legs conspicuously striped with
white lines. Abdomen with tiny pale dots.
Pleopods and soft part of tail fan black.
Size: Maximum body length 40 cm,
commonly between 20 and 30 cm (males
usually larger).
Habitat, biology, and fisheries: Found in
shallow waters, usually at depths from 1 to
4 m (maximum depth 16 m) at seaward
edges of reefs, in clear waters not influenced
by rivers. Nocturnal and usually not gregarious, but sometimes occurs in a “harem” of mixed sexes; often
found in deep caves during the daytime and strongly clinging to rocks at surf zones or areas with strong
currents such as surge channels. Good catches are often possible during dark nights, particularly after the
full moon. The phyllosoma larval stage of this species probably lasts 7 to 8 months and has 10 substages.
The females seem to be reproductive all year around in the south western Pacific. Requires silt-free clear
waters and is therefore found in optimal conditions around oceanic islands; it is the predominant spiny
lobster in the South Pacific Islands. Fished throughout its range and mostly taken during day and night
diving by hand and spear, sometimes also by trammel nets and traps, but less effectively so. However, the
catches are generally not very abundant and it is mostly sold fresh, live, cooked whole or tailed for local
consumption, but also exported in some regions, such as from the Philippines and Indonesia. Considered a
commercially threatened
species by the World
Conservation Union (IUCN).
Distribution: Probably the
most widely distributed species
of the genus and can be found
in the Indo-Pacific from the
eastern coast of Africa to the
Red Sea, Japan, Australia,
French Polynesia, Hawaii, and
the offshore islands near the
western coasts of America (e.g.
the Galapagos Archipelago).