FAO Species Identification Guide for Fishery Purposes Western

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1038 Lobsters
Scyllarides haanii (De Haan, 1841)
Frequent synonyms / misidentifications: None / None.
FAO names: En - Aesop slipper lobster.
Diagnostic characters: Body vaulted,
pubescent and covered with rounded
tubercles. Eyes small and subspherical.
Carapace somewhat rectangular, but
posterior half distinctly wider than anterior
half; cervical groove strong; pregastric,
gastric and cardiac teeth all strongly
protruding. Antennae broad, flattened and
plate-like, with distal margin finely crenate. All
legs without pincers and similar in size.
Abdomen uniformly granulate and not
particularly sculptured; dorsal midline of
second and third segments strongly
ridged, and that of fourth segment
produced into a remarkable hump; pleura
directed downwards, with posterior margin
of second pleuron somewhat concave.
Posterior half of tail fan soft and flexible.
Colour: body and legs yellowish white and
covered with purplish red patches; dorsal
surfaces more purplish, ventral surfaces more
yellowish. Eyes dark brown. Antennae with
purplish margins; antennules somewhat
orange except distal segment of peduncle and
flagella purplish. First abdominal segment
yellowish with 3 diffused purplish red
spots. Soft part of tail fan light brown with
numerous purple dots.
Size: Maximum body length 50.5 cm,
commonly between 16 and 30 cm; probably
the largest species of the genus.
Habitat, biology, and fisheries: Found in
coral or rocky reefs at depths from 10 to
135 m, usually less than 50 m. Apparently
nowhere abundant and in some places even
uncommon. Despite of its large size therefore
mostly incidentally taken during fishing
activities for spiny lobsters (e.g. by hand or by lobster pots). When caught, this slipper lobster is highly
esteemed as food and sold (usually live or fresh) in local markets at prices comparable to that of spiny
lobsters.
Distribution: Indo-West
Pacific from Mauritius to the
Red Sea, Japan, Hawaii, and
Australia.