American Lobster
Homarus americanus
Hawaiian red reef lobster
Enoplometopus occidentalis
About
The Hawaiian red reef lobster is a shy, brightly coloured lobster that spends the day tucked into reef crevices and is a favourite sighting for divers who spot one.
- Length
- 14 cm
- Depth
- up to 100 m
How to tell it apart
Its neon red-orange colour and yellow bristles make it hard to confuse with other reef lobsters in these waters, but shy retreat into crevices can leave only claws or antennae visible. The pair of long, slender claws on its first legs is the mark to look for if the body is tucked out of sight.
Appearance
Its body is a striking neon red or orange, broken up by white markings, with fine yellow hair-like bristles over the shell. The first pair of legs carries long, slender claws. The tail is rounded and smooth, ending in a central spine flanked by three smaller movable spines. Adult males can grow up to 14 cm long.
Habitat
It lives on coral reefs and rocky reef structure across the tropical Indo-West Pacific, from East Africa to Indonesia, the Philippines, and Hawaii. It hides in crevices by day, usually found at depths from 10 to 100 m.
Log it in Into the Blue
Describe what you saw and we name it, then keep every species you find in your Oceandex.
