PORT PHILLIP BAY


Southern Rock Lobster 

Jasus edwardsii (Hutton, 1875)

View scientific description and taxonomy

Scientific Details

Carapace cylindrical. Supraorbital spines almost vertical. Eyes elevated. Rostrum smaller than supraorbital spines. Without stridulating apparatus on antennae. Antennule with short flagella. Abdomen with dorsal squamiform sculpture. Scalloped sculpture of upper surface of abdominal somites. Female pleopod 2 endopod broad, with reduced second article (stylamblys). Red in colour.

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:
Palinura
Family:
Palinuridae
Genus:
Jasus
Subgenus:
Jasus
Species:
edwardsii

General Description

Body red to red-brown with spines on the carapace. Abdomen with raised pattern. Up to 70 cm long (head to tail tip).

Biology

Southern Rock Lobsters start life as larvae, floating through the water for 9 months before settling on the sea floor and transforming into the adult body shape.

Habitat

Crevices and ledges of rocky reefs, to depths over 60 m.

Reefs

Distribution guide

Southern Australia.

Species Group

Prawns, shrimps, lobsters › Lobsters

Depth

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

Water Column

On or near sea floor

Max Size

70 cm

Diet

Carnivore

Harmful

Small claws but unlikely to nip.

Commercial Species

Yes

Global Dispersal

Native to Australia

Species Code

MoV 1770

Conservation Status

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

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, Southern Rock Lobster, Jasus edwardsii, in Taxonomic Toolkit for marine life of Port Phillip Bay, Museum Victoria, accessed 02 Apr 2025, http://136.154.202.208:8098/species/3964

Text: creative commons cc by licence