The Secret Life of Lobsters

I just wanted to alert fellow lobster enthusiasts to this great new book. It's an eye opener for sure. It reads like a novel but has more in common with a science textbook. I highly recommend it.

So...what's the ISBN, who's the author, is that the title?

DSAO,
Jim (jlyle)

I recently picked up a copy of Trevor Corson's book "The Secret Life of Lobsters" and have been enjoying it.

One question, though. The book solely deals with the big-clawed American lobster found in Maine (i.e. Homarus americanus). Any ideas on how applicable the behavioral information is to spiny lobsters found in California or the Caribbean (i.e. Panulirus interruptus or Panulirus argus)? For example, do the latter mate in the same way, after the female molts and is relatively unprotected?

There was a program on PBS a couple of years ago based on that book. Excellent photography! If it's ever aired again, I'll try to remind you. Technically, Spiny lobsters are not true lobsters, they're closer to Crayfish. They do many of the same things as their eastern bretheren though. As the Summer comes to an end they march single file into shallower waters at night. I don't know about reproduction, but the Maine lobsters put on a good porn show! The males touch antennae with the females. If the male is found to be acceptable (some aren't) she will let the male turn her onto her back, mount her and spread his exhuberance. This act can last for more than an hour. Let's see you do that! They will often repeat the performance a few more times that night, then the male will be on his way, not even promising to call.

Not technicaly lobsters? Hmm that brings up an interesting question then. I suppose the differance between the two is because of millions of years of evoloution in different enviroments, kinda like the galapago's Islands. Can East coast lobsters survive in the pacific, Say if you were to get a whole bunch of male and female atlantic lobsters and put them in the pacific could they or would they survive? Or is the salinity difference to much or is it a tempature thing? I wonder if you put them in a tank based on the atlantic and slowly over time altered it to pacific specs would that work? Would they have a breeding explosion like some non indiginous species have a tendancy to do?
Maybe we could have both types out here to hunt...mmmmmmm

EDIT.... How funny right after i post these questions i go down a couple more pages and find a post that someone found a maine lobster in redondo? So i guess they can survive. So now all we need to do is get alot of male and female maine lobsters so they will have breeding stock and then we can have the best of both worlds here in socal...lol

MaxBottomtime:

Technically, Spiny lobsters are not true lobsters, they're closer to Crayfish.

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Whoops, you got this backwards. Spiny lobsters are palinurans, comprising the er... spiny lobsters, as well as spanish/slipper types, furry lobsters (synaxids), the super-ancient glypheids (there's a genus in the Philippines), and the deep-sea polychelids.

Maine lobsters are astacids, comprising both the american and "blue" european types, the similar nephropids (minus big claws), and the two "generic crayfish" families.

Both astacids and palinurans have fossil representation from the Triassic, so they've been evolutionarily divergent from one another for quite a long time.

The Maine lobster is well known for its unusually elaborate courtship rituals. Most other crustaceans aren't this complicated. The upside-down thing is fairly common in other decapod lines, as is waiting for the post-molt.

Color also has been interesting. It has been said that the lobster shell colors are from what they eat. On the Florida East coast we get alot of brown with some slight green, but alot of the California bugs are more of a deep redish.

Now where that rumored Blue lobster comes from, I have no idea!!

Johnoly:

It has been said that the lobster shell colors are from what they eat. On the Florida East coast we get alot of brown with some slight green, but alot of the California bugs are more of a deep redish.

Now where that rumored Blue lobster comes from, I have no idea!!

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The European "blue lobster" is Homarus vulgaris. Very similar to H. americanus, 'cept the claws are distinctly unequal. Both species are endemic to the North Atlantic, just at different "ends".

Carotenoid pigments are responsible for the majority of colours in crustaceans. These pigments tend to be in-sourced from diet. It's also why most crabs and shrimps in the world have red/orange hues to them.

Martin Moe wrote one I really enjoyed about spiny lobsters. "Lobsters: Florida, Bahamas, and the Caribbean"
A lot of it was about his aquaculture project and he described the lifecycle of a lobster in a really entertaining way.
Lobsters: Florida, Bahamas, and the Caribbean
He also wrote the Marine Aquarium Handbook that was a terrific reference.