Scyllaridae Family of Slipper Lobsters
Two Slipper Lobsters of t he Scyllaridae Family can be found in this website:
Phylogeny: Slipper Lobsters of the Scyllaridae Family are in the phylum Arthropoda and the subphylum Crustacea. They are in the superclass Multicrustacea, the Class Malacostraca, the subclass Eumalacostraca, the superorder Eucarida, the order Decapoda, the suborder Pleocyemata, and the infraorder Achelata. The Scyllaridae Family is one of two families in this infraorder. The Scyllaridae Family contains four subfamilies, nineteen genera, and around eighty-nine species. The name Scyllaridae comes from the Greek word that refers to crustaceans in general and especially hermit crabs. Slipper Lobsters are also commonly known as Shovel-head Lobsters and Fan Lobsters. In Mexico they are called Langosta Pantufla.
Morphology: Slipper Lobsters have 5 head segments, 8 thoracic segments, and 6 abdominal segments. The head and thorax are combined as a cephalothorax. Their head includes a pair of antennae, a pair of antennules, and the mouth. Slipper Lobster bodies are strongly flattened dorso-ventrally. Their exoskeleton is thick and strong. Their carapace either lacks a rostrum, or it has a very small one. Slipper Lobsters have two pairs of antennae. One small pair is used for sensing the environment. The other pair are like large, armored plates. They have five pairs of appendages that function as legs (pereiopods). One of these pairs is modified into enlarged pincers (chalae). They also have three pairs of appendages that function as mouth parts (maxillipeds). They have six pairs of biramous (dividing to form two branches) appendages along their abdomen. The first five pairs function as swimmerets (pleopods). The last pair is flattened to form a tail fan. Slipper Lobsters are usually drab shades of brown in color, but some can be strikingly colorful. Slipper Lobsters, like Coral Lobsters and Spiny Lobsters, are in the infraorder Achelata indicative that they are not True Lobsters, with the most obvious distinction being their lack of claws. Slipper Lobsters reach a maximum of 50 cm (20 inches) in length.
Habitat and Distribution: Slipper Lobsters are found on soft substrates, such as sand or mud, and on hard substrates, such as, coral and rock, or within caves. Those in soft substrates have the ability to burrow to avoid predation. Those on hard substrates rely on their strong legs to grip the substrate, and their hard shells to outlast attackers. They live from the intertidal zone to depths as great as 484 m (1,588 feet). Slipper Lobsters are found worldwide in temperate to tropical seas. At least four species from this family are found in Mexican waters.
Reproduction: Slipper Lobsters are gonochoric (male or female for life). Reproduction is sexual with indirect external fertilization. Mating is accomplished by the transfer of a sperm packet from the male to the abdomen of the female. The female scratches open the sperm packet as she releases her eggs. The female carries the fertilized eggs on her swimmerets until they hatch after nine to twelve months. The eggs hatch into planktonic larvae. After several developmental stages the larvae molt into benthic juvenile lobsters.
Ecosystem Roles: Slipper Lobsters are the most species rich and diverse family of marine lobsters. They are opportunistic omnivores that consume algae, crustaceans, echinoderms, mollusks, polychaetes, sea squirts, fish, and sponges. Some specialize in consuming bivalves utilizing one pair of legs to wedge open the bivalve far enough to insert another pair of legs that saws through the adductor muscle, opening the shell. In turn Slipper Lobsters are primarily preyed upon by fish, octopus, and marine mammals.