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Squat lobsters are decapod
Decapoda

The decapods or Decapoda are an order of crustaceans within the class Malacostraca, including many familiar groups, such as crayfish, crabs, lobsters, prawns and shrimp....
 crustacean
Crustacean

Crustaceans are a large group of arthropods, comprising almost 52,000 described species , and are usually treated as a subphylum . They include various familiar animals, such as crabs, lobsters, crayfish, shrimp, krill and barnacles....
s of the families Galatheidae and Chirostylidae, including the common genera Galathea and Munida. They are not lobster
Lobster

Clawed lobsters compose a family of large marine crustaceans. Lobsters are economically important as seafood, forming the basis of a global industry that nets United States dollar1.8 billion in trade annually....
s at all, but are more closely related to porcelain crab
Porcelain crab

Porcelain crabs are Decapoda crustaceans in the family Porcellanidae, which superficially resemble true crabs. They are a good example of carcinisation, whereby a non-crab-like animal evolves into an animal that only a specialist would know is not a true crab....
s, hermit crab
Hermit crab

Hermit crabs are Decapoda crustaceans of the superfamily Paguroidea . They are not closely related to true crabs. Hermit crabs are quite commonly seen in the intertidal zone, for example in tide pools....
s and then, more distantly, true crab
Crab

Crabs are Decapoda crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura, which typically have a very short projecting "tail" , or where the reduced abdomen is entirely hidden under the thorax....
s. They are distributed worldwide in the oceans, and occur from near the surface to deep sea hydrothermal vents. There are currently 870 described species.

They are also much smaller than lobsters that can be legally harvested.






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Squat lobsters are decapod
Decapoda

The decapods or Decapoda are an order of crustaceans within the class Malacostraca, including many familiar groups, such as crayfish, crabs, lobsters, prawns and shrimp....
 crustacean
Crustacean

Crustaceans are a large group of arthropods, comprising almost 52,000 described species , and are usually treated as a subphylum . They include various familiar animals, such as crabs, lobsters, crayfish, shrimp, krill and barnacles....
s of the families Galatheidae and Chirostylidae, including the common genera Galathea and Munida. They are not lobster
Lobster

Clawed lobsters compose a family of large marine crustaceans. Lobsters are economically important as seafood, forming the basis of a global industry that nets United States dollar1.8 billion in trade annually....
s at all, but are more closely related to porcelain crab
Porcelain crab

Porcelain crabs are Decapoda crustaceans in the family Porcellanidae, which superficially resemble true crabs. They are a good example of carcinisation, whereby a non-crab-like animal evolves into an animal that only a specialist would know is not a true crab....
s, hermit crab
Hermit crab

Hermit crabs are Decapoda crustaceans of the superfamily Paguroidea . They are not closely related to true crabs. Hermit crabs are quite commonly seen in the intertidal zone, for example in tide pools....
s and then, more distantly, true crab
Crab

Crabs are Decapoda crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura, which typically have a very short projecting "tail" , or where the reduced abdomen is entirely hidden under the thorax....
s. They are distributed worldwide in the oceans, and occur from near the surface to deep sea hydrothermal vents. There are currently 870 described species.

They are also much smaller than lobsters that can be legally harvested. For example, Munida rugosa has a maximum body length of 10 cm
Centimetre

A centimetre is a Units of measurement of length in the metric system, equal to one hundredth of a metre, which is the current International System of Units SI base unit of length....
 with abdomen extended,  and the striated squat lobster Galathea australiensis has a carapace
Carapace

A carapace is a Dorsum section of the exoskeleton or shell in a number of animal groups, including arthropods such as crustaceans and arachnids as well as vertebrates such as chelonians, order Testudines, turtles and tortoises....
 that reaches 15 cm in length. 

Flesh from these animals is often commercially sold in restaurants as "langostino
Langostino

Langostino is a Spanish language word with different meanings in different areas. In America, it is commonly used in the restaurant trade to refer to the meat of the squat lobster, which is neither a true lobster nor a prawn....
 lobster," or sometimes called merely "lobster" when incorporated in seafood
Seafood

Seafood is any aquatic animal that is served as food and eaten by humans. Seafoods include fish and shellfish .The harvesting of seafood is known as fishing and the cultivation and farming of seafood is known as aquaculture, mariculture, or in the case of fish, fish farming....
 dishes, which highly upsets the Maine lobster industry. 

The body of a squat lobster is usually flattened, the abdomen is typically folded under itself, and the first pereiopods (front legs) are greatly elongated and armed with long chelae (claws). The fifth pair of pereiopods is usually hidden within the gill chamber, under the carapace
Carapace

A carapace is a Dorsum section of the exoskeleton or shell in a number of animal groups, including arthropods such as crustaceans and arachnids as well as vertebrates such as chelonians, order Testudines, turtles and tortoises....
, giving squat lobsters the appearance of having only eight pereiopods.

It was long assumed that squat lobsters hide in crevices and catch prey with their long claws. However, recent observations showed the animals to wait on the tops of Lophelia
Lophelia pertusa

Lophelia pertusa is a species of cold-water coral which grows in the deep waters throughout the North Atlantic ocean. L. pertusa reefs are home to a biodiversity, however the species is extremely slow growing and may be harmed by destructive fishing practices, or oil exploration and extraction....
 coral
Coral

Corals are marine organisms from the class Anthozoa and exist as small sea anemone?like polyps, typically in colonies of many identical individuals....
 reef
Reef

In nautical terminology, a reef is a Rock , bar , or other feature lying beneath the surface of the water .Many reefs result from abiotic processes?deposition of sand, wave erosion planning down rock outcrops, and other natural processes?but the best-known reefs are the coral reefs of tropical waters developed through biotic processes do...
s and catch fish
Fish

A fish is any marine biology vertebrate animal that is typically ectothermic , covered with scale , and equipped with two sets of paired fins and several unpaired fins....
 swimming past.

Families and genera

  • Chirostylidae Ortmann
    Arnold Edward Ortmann

    Arnold Edward Ortmann was a zoology who specialized in malacology....
    , 1892
    • Chirostylus Ortmann, 1892
    • Eumunida Smith
      Sidney Irving Smith

      Sidney Irving Smith was an United States zoology. Sidney Smith was the son of Elliot Smith and Lavinia Barton. His brother in law was Addison Emery Verrill....
      , 1883
    • Gastroptychus Caurelly, 1896
    • Pseudomunida
    • Uroptychus Baba, 1988
  • Galatheidae Samouelle
    George Samouelle

    George Samouelle was a curator in the Natural History Museum. He was primarily interested in Lepidoptera but also wrote A nomenclature of British Entomology, or a catalogue of above 4000 species of the Classes Crustacea, Myriapoda, Spiders, Mites and insects intended as labels for cabinets of Insects, etc., alphabetically arranged at L...
    , 1819
    • Agononida Baba & de Saint Laurent, 1995
    • Allogalathea Baba, 1969
    • Allomunida
    • Anoplonida Baba & de Saint Laurent, 1995
    • Bathymunida
    • Cervimunida Benedict, 1902
    • Coralliogalathea
    • Fennerogalathea Baba, 1988
    • Galacantha
    • Galathea Fabricius
      Johan Christian Fabricius

      Johan Christian Fabricius was a Denmark entomologist and economist.Fabricius was born at T?nder in the duchy of Schleswig. He studied at the gymnasium at Altona and entered the University of Copenhagen in 1762....
      , 1793
    • Lauriea
    • Leiogalathea
    • Janetogalathea
    • Munida Leach
      William Elford Leach

      William Elford Leach Royal Society was an England zoologist and marine biologist.Leach was born in Plymouth, the son of a solicitor. At the age of twelve he went to school in Exeter, studying anatomy and chemistry....
      , 1820
    • Munidopsis Whiteaves, 1874
    • Nanagalathea
    • Paramunida Baba, 1988
    • Phylladriorhynchus
    • Pleuroncodes
    • Raymunida
    • Sadayoshia Baba, 1969
    • Shinkaia
    • Tasmanida Ahyong, 2007


See also

  • Langostino
    Langostino

    Langostino is a Spanish language word with different meanings in different areas. In America, it is commonly used in the restaurant trade to refer to the meat of the squat lobster, which is neither a true lobster nor a prawn....
  • Kiwa hirsuta
    Kiwa hirsuta

    Kiwa hirsuta is a crustacean discovered in 2005 in the South Pacific Ocean. This Decapoda, which is approximately 15 cm long, is notable for the quantity of silky blond setae covering its pereiopods ....