Jasus lalandii
{{Short description|Species of spiny lobster of the family Palinuridae from South Africa }}
{{Speciesbox
| image = JasusLalandii.JPG
| status = LC
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| genus = Jasus
| species = lalandii
| authority = (H. Milne-Edwards, 1837)
| synonyms = {{nowrap|Palinurus lalandii H. Milne-Edwards, 1837}}
}}
Jasus lalandii, the Cape rock lobster or West Coast rock lobster or South African rock lobster, is a species of spiny lobster found off the coast of Southern Africa. It is not known whom the specific epithet lalandii commemorates, although it may the French naturalist and taxonomer Pierre Antoine Delalande.{{cite web |url=http://www.tmbl.gu.se/libdb/taxon/personetymol/petymol.l.html |title=Biographical Etymology of Marine Organism Names |publisher=Tjärnö Marine Biological Laboratory, University of Gothenburg & Stockholm University |author=Hans G. Hanssen |access-date=August 22, 2007}}
Distribution
Jasus lalandii occurs in shallow waters from Cape Cross, Namibia to Algoa Bay, South Africa, straddling the Cape of Good Hope. It may be found as deep as {{convert|46|m|-1}} and is usually found on rocky bottoms.{{cite book |url=http://wbd.etibioinformatics.nl/bis/lobsters.php?selected=beschrijving&menuentry=soorten&id=130 |chapter=Jasus lalandii (Cape rock lobster) |title=Marine Lobsters of the World |author=Lipke Holthuis |author-link=Lipke Holthuis |publisher=Food and Agriculture Organization |year=1991 |isbn=92-5-103027-8 |pages=99–100 |access-date=2011-12-10 |archive-date=2012-06-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120606145513/http://wbd.etibioinformatics.nl/bis/lobsters.php?selected=beschrijving&menuentry=soorten&id=130 |url-status=dead }}
Culinary use
It is called crayfish ({{langx|af|kreef}}) and is often braaied, particularly in the coastal areas along its range, however overfishing has depleted stocks.{{Cite web|url=https://www.aquarium.co.za/blog/entry/bad-news-for-west-coast-rock-lobster-skip-the-kreef-this-summer|title = Bad news for West Coast rock lobster: Skip the kreef this summer – Blog – Two Oceans Aquarium | Official Tickets | Cape Town South Africa}}
Description
Jasus lalandii - Annals of the South African Museum (1950) (18412149782).jpg|Larval forms
Orange to red-brown, with long antennae extending from the front of the head. Tail fan orange, blue and green. Thorax spiny. Eyes black and stalked.Jones, Georgina. A field guide to the marine animals of the Cape Peninsula. SURG, Cape Town, 2008. {{ISBN|978-0-620-41639-9}}
Ecology
File:Rock lobsters at Bakoven Rock DSC10992.JPG
Generally found on rocky reefs, where it prefers the shelter of crevices. Often seen in groups with antennae protruding from the shelter. Swims backward in emergencies using the tail, but generally crawls around on the reef.
Its predators include seals, sharks and large fish.
It is susceptible to low oxygen levels in the water which may cause mass strandings.
=Feeding=
Jasus lalandii is a generalist predator and scavenger of mussels, sea urchins, abalone, barnacles, among other thing.{{cite journal |last1=Van Zyl |first1=R. F. |last2=Mayfield |first2=S. |last3=Branch |first3=G. M. |title=Aquarium experiments comparing the feeding behaviour of rock lobster Jasus lalandii on abalone and sea urchins on the west coast of South Africa |journal=African Journal of Marine Science |date=June 2003 |volume=25 |issue=1 |pages=377–382 |doi=10.2989/18142320309504024|doi-access=free }} When both abalone and sea urchins are available, rock lobsters preferentially feed on abalone. Which could be due to the higher calorific value of the sea urchins. In its choice for sea snails it selects prey below the critical size as attacking these prey is likely to involve the least risk.{{cite journal |last1=van Zyl |first1=R.F. |last2=Mayfield |first2=S. |last3=Pulfrich |first3=A. |last4=Griffiths |first4=C.L. |title=Predation by West Coast rock lobsters (Jasus lalandii) on two species of winkle (Oxystele sinensis and Turbo cidaris) |journal=South African Journal of Zoology |date=1998 |volume=33 |issue=4 |pages=203–209 |doi=10.1080/02541858.1998.11448473}} Small prey sea snails are opened by cracking the whole shell, while larger individuals are cracked sequentially by chipping parts of the shell until the muscular foot can be extracted. This indicates that overall J. lalandii optimizes the energetic returns from feeding while minimizing the risk involved.
Fishery
Jasus lalandii may grow up to a total length of {{convert|46|cm}}, with a carapace length of {{convert|18|cm|abbr=on}}. It is widely caught for its meat, with over 6,500 t being caught annually in lobster pots and hoop nets. In order to prevent overfishing, individual fishing quotas are allocated by the Republic of South Africa to fishermen and companies, totalling 1,700 t.{{cite web |url=http://www.fao.org/fi/fcp/en/ZAF/body.htm |title=Information on fisheries management in the Republic of South Africa |publisher=Food and Agriculture Organization |access-date=August 22, 2007}} There is also a closed season from 1 June to 15 November, a size limit of 80 mm (carapace length) and a ban on catching ovigerous females (females which are brooding their eggs).{{cite web|title=Regulations for fishing of West Coast rock lobster (Jasus lalandii) |url=http://sacoast.uwc.ac.za/education/resources/legislation/fishingregulations/westlobster.htm |publisher=South African Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism |access-date=August 22, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070819022028/http://sacoast.uwc.ac.za/education/resources/legislation/fishingregulations/westlobster.htm |archive-date=August 19, 2007 }}
References
{{Reflist}}
- {{Commons category-inline|Jasus lalandii}}
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{{Authority control}}
Category:Commercial crustaceans
Category:Crustaceans of the Atlantic Ocean