PORT PHILLIP BAY


Australian Squat Lobster 

Galathea australiensis Stimpson, 1858

View scientific description and taxonomy

Scientific Details

Chelipeds elongate, slender. Eyes well-developed. Maxilliped 1 exopod with lash. Rostrum triangular, as long as broad at base with 4 (rarely 3-5) distinct lateral teeth. Anterior half of carapace with uninterrupted transverse striae and pair of anterior gastric spines. Telson without a transverse suture and not folded beneath the preceding abdominal somites with the tail-fan.

Source: Poore, G.C.B. (2004) Marine decapod Crustacea of southern Australia. A guide to identification (with chapter on Stomatopoda by Shane Ahyong). CSIRO Publishing, Melbourne, 574 pp.

Taxonomy

Phylum:
Arthropoda
Subphylum:
Crustacea
Class:
Malacostraca
Subclass:
Eumalacostraca
Superorder:
Eucarida
Order:
Decapoda
Suborder:
Pleocyemata
Infraorder:
Anomura
Family:
Galatheidae
Genus:
Galathea
Species:
australiensis

Other Names

  • Striated Craylet
  • Striated Squat Lobster

General Description

Front leg with claw (cheliped) is longer than the body. Triangular point between the eyes (rostrum) with 3 or 4 pointed spikes (teeth) along each side. Body pink-red or brown with rough ridges across the carapace. Eyes red. Up to 2 cm long (carapace).

Biology

Australian Squat Lobsters are active animals that shelter in crevices in rough sediments. They can swim away from the bottom, and in New Zealand related species do so in such huge numbers that they form a "red tide".

Habitat

Continental shelf areas, occasionally in intertidal areas.

Reefs

Distribution guide

Southern Australia.

Species Group

Crabs and allies › Squat lobsters

Depth

Shallow (1-30 m)
Deep ( > 30 m)

Water Column

On or near sea floor

Max Size

2 cm

Diet

Carnivore

Commercial Species

No

Global Dispersal

Native to Australia

Species Code

MoV 92

Conservation Status

  • DSE Advisory List : Not listed
  • EPBC Act 1999 : Not listed
  • IUCN Red List : Not listed

Author

article author Taylor, J.

Dr. Jo Taylor is the Sciences Collections Online Coordinator at Museum Victoria.

Author

article author Poore, G.C.B.

Dr. Gary Poore is Principal Curator Emeritus at Museum Victoria.

citation

Cite this page as:
Taylor, J. & Poore, G.C.B., 2011, Australian Squat Lobster, Galathea australiensis, in Taxonomic Toolkit for marine life of Port Phillip Bay, Museum Victoria, accessed 27 Apr 2024, http://136.154.202.208:8098/species/3936

Text: creative commons cc by licence