Lobsters are invertebrates with a hard protective exoskeleton. The most similar living relatives of clawed lobsters are the reef lobsters and the three families of freshwater crayfish.ĭescription European lobster with cut antennae Body Clawed lobsters are not closely related to spiny lobsters or slipper lobsters, which have no claws ( chelae), or to squat lobsters. Distinction Īlthough several other groups of crustaceans have the word 'lobster' in their names, the unqualified term 'lobster' generally refers to the clawed lobsters of the family Nephropidae. Ĭommercially important species include two species of Homarus from the northern Atlantic Ocean and scampi (which look more like a shrimp, or a 'mini lobster')-the Northern Hemisphere genus Nephrops and the Southern Hemisphere genus Metanephrops. Highly prized as seafood, lobsters are economically important and are often one of the most profitable commodities in the coastal areas they populate. Three of their five pairs of legs have claws, including the first pair, which are usually much larger than the others.
They have long bodies with muscular tails and live in crevices or burrows on the sea floor. Lobsters are a family ( Nephropidae, synonym Homaridae ) of marine crustaceans. Lobsters awaiting purchase in Trenton, Maine Homarinus Kornfield, Williams & Steneck, 1995.Dinochelus Ahyong, Chan & Bouchet, 2010.
