Stebbing, 1900

Diagnosis:
Carapace in front of the cervical groove pubescent. Merus of walking legs triangular in transverse section, the flat outer surface pubescent. Abdominal somites two to five with two transverse grooves. Anterior groove of abdominal somites two to five very deep and as hairy as the posterior groove.

Type:
Type locality: "False Bay", southern Cape Province, South Africa, and "25 miles s.w. 1/4 w. from Cape St.Blaize" near Mosselbaai, Cape Province, South Africa; syntype male in SAM, no. A 970 (in alcohol).

Geographical Distribution:
South Africa: south coast of Cape Province from False Bay to Port Alfred (from 18°30' to 27°E). Also reported from the Fort Dauphin area of Madagascar (Crosnier and Jouannic, 1973: 13).

Habitat and Biology:
The species has been reported from depths between 55 and 360 m; it inhabits rocky areas and shelters in the crevices of the rocks.

Size:
Maximum total body length 16 cm (males) and 31 cm (females). The recorded carapace lengths vary from 3 to 13 cm, usually between 6 and 10 cm.

Interest to Fisheries:
According to Berry (1971: 18) the species did not support a commercial fishery. But Pollock and Augustyn (1982: 57-73) reported that commercially exploitable densities of this species were discovered near the edge of the continental shelf between Cape Agulhas and Port Alfred in about 110 m depth. The FAO Yearbook of Fisheries Statistics reports annual catches of 1820 metric tons in 1987 and 880 tons in 1988; all by South Africa. Near Fort Dauphin Madagascar, Crosnier and Jouannic (1973: 13) found only small quantities of lobsters in areas with rocky bottoms difficult to exploit with the gear available to them.

Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Arthropoda
Class Crustacea
Order Decapoda
Suborder Macrura Reptantia
Superfamily Palinuroidea
Family Palinuridae
Genus Palinurus
Species Palinurus gilchristi

Status in World Register of Marine Species

Accepted name: Palinurus gilchristi Stebbing, 1900

Scientific synonyms and common names

Palinurus gilchristi Stebbing, 1900

Synonyms:
Palinurus gilchristi Stebbing, 1900, South African Marine Fisheries Investigations,1: 31, pl.1.

FAO Names:
Southern spiny lobster [English]
Langouste du Sud [French]
Langosta del sur [Spanish]

Local Names:
SOUTH AFRICA: Gilchrist's crayfish (Barnard, 1950: 542)

Barnard, K.H., 1950. Descriptive catalogue of South African decapod Crustacea. Annals South African Museum, 38:1-837, figs 1-154

Berry, P.F. and R. Plante, 1973. Revision of the spiny lobster genus Palinurus, in the South-West Indian Ocean. Transactions Royal Society South Africa, 40:373-380, text fig. 1, pls 19,20

Berry, P.F., 1971. The spiny lobsters (Palinuridae) of the east coast of southern Africa: distribution and ecological notes. Investigational Report Oceanographic Research Institute, Durban, 27:1-23, figs 1-3

Crosnier, A. and C. Jouannic, 1973. Note d'information sur les prospections de la pente continentale malgache effectuées par le N.O. Vauban. Bathymétrie - Sédimentologie - Pêche au chalut. Documents scientifiques Centre Nosy-Bé ORSTOM, 42:1-18, pls 1-4,1 unnumbered plate

Pollock, D.E. and C.J. Augustyn, 1982. Biology of the rock lobster Palinurus gilchristi with notes on the South African Fishery. Fishery Bulletin South Africa,16:57-73, figs 1-13

Stebbing, T.R.R., 1900. South African Crustacea. Marine Investigations in South Africa, 1: 14-66, pls 1-4.

Williams, A.B., 1986. Lobsters - Identification, world distribution, and U.S. trade. Marine Fisheries Review, 48(2):1-36, figs 1-80

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