Green Spiny Lobster (Panulirus penicillatus) シマイセエビ – ‘Ula – size 45cm
The Green Spiny Lobster has a very wide range, from East Africa through the Indian and Pacific Oceans in tropical waters. It has many different names. The color can range from green to orange too. The ones that I have seen in Hawaii and in Japan have been greenish, so I am sticking to Green Spiny lobster. They also have very large and thick legs. The tail is smaller in proportion to the carapace than other spiny lobsters. Amami 2019
Green Spiny Lobster molt. The hard exoskeleton of Crustaceans doesn’t allow them to grow. They must molt their shell to grow. They exit between the carapace and the tail and leave their old shell behind. they are very softa and spongy after molting and vulnerable to predators until their new shell hardens. Miyakojima 2017
A female Green Spiney Lobster has larger swimmerets. The swimmerets are the little black paddle like things under the tail. Not only are they larger on the females but they have a special feather like appendage, that is used to hold the eggs. In Hawaii and many other places, it is illegal to keep female lobsters. Kauai 2017
A Green Spiny Lobster in Hawaii has a lot of green on the body. Kauai 2017