Parribacus antarcticus

Parribacus antarcticus is a species of slipper lobster.^[3] Its common names include "sculptured mitten lobster" and "sculptured slipper lobster" in English, and ula-pehu and ula-pápapa in Hawaiian.^[3][2]

Parribacus antarcticus
Parribacus antarcticus, in Bunaken, Sulawesi
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Malacostraca
Order:	Decapoda
Suborder:	Pleocyemata
Family:	Scyllaridae
Genus:	Parribacus
Species:	P. antarcticus
Binomial name
Parribacus antarcticus (Lund, 1793)
Synonyms[2]
Cancer (Astacus) ursus major Herbst, 1793 Cancer barffi Curtiss, 1938 Ibacus antarcticus (Lund, 1793) Ibacus ciliatus Guilding, 1824 Ibacus parrae H. Milne Edwards, 1837 Parribacus antarcticus carinatus Pfeffer, 1881 Parribacus papyraceus Rathbun, 1906 Parribacus ursus major (Herbst, 1793) Pseudibacus Pfefferi Miers, 1882 Scyllarus antarcticus Lund, 1793 Scyllarus carinatus Guilding, 1824

Description

Parribacus antarcticus, at the Washington Zoo

Parribacus antarcticus can reach a length of about 20 cm in males, but usually they are between 12 and 15 cm.. They are yellowish, mottled with brown and black patches, while rostrum and orbital margin are purplish. They have quite flattened bodies, with dorsal surface covered with tubercles and short hairs. The lateral margin shows large teeth banded with yellow, orange and light purple. In the abdominal somites the transverse groove is wide, with just a few hairs or tubercles. The small eyes are situated inside not closed orbits on the anterior margin of the carapace.

This species is nocturnal and in the daytime it usually hides in crevices or underside of large slabs or ledges, frequently in small groups. It can swim backwards very quickly by using the tails. This slipper lobster eats a variety of molluscs, small shrimps, crabs and sea urchins.

Distribution

P. antarcticus is distributed along the western coast the Atlantic Ocean from Florida to northern Brazil, along the southern coast of Africa in the Indian Ocean, and in Hawaii and Polynesia in the South Pacific Ocean.^[4]

Habitat

These slipper lobsters are bottom dwellers. Their habitat are the shallow water of lagoons and coral or stone marine reefs, preferably with a sandy bottom, at a depth of 0 – 20 m.