Jasus

Jasus
Temporal range: MioceneRecent
Jasus edwardsii
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Crustacea
Class: Malacostraca
Order: Decapoda
Infraorder: Achelata
Family: Palinuridae
Genus: Jasus
Parker, 1883 [1]
Type species
Palinurus lalandii
H. Milne-Edwards, 1837

Jasus is a genus of spiny lobsters which live in the oceans of the Southern Hemisphere.[2] They have two distinct "horns" projecting from the front of the carapace, but lack the stridulating organs present in almost all other genera of spiny lobsters.[2] Like all spiny lobsters, they lack claws, and have long stout antennae which are quite flexible.[2]

Species

The following species are included in the genus Jasus:[3]

Another species, formerly known as "Jasus verreauxi" is found around New Zealand (especially the North Island), the Chatham Islands, and around Australia (Queensland to Victoria and Tasmania); it is now placed in the genus Sagmariasus.

Approximate distributions of the extant species of Jasus, after Phillips (2006).[5]
Orange: J. caveorum; pink: J. frontalis; red: J. tristani; yellow: J. lalandii; blue: J. paulensis; green: J. edwardsii

Fisheries

Most of the extant species are liable to commercial exploitation, with the majority of the A$4.6 million New South Wales lobster fishery industry being based on J. edwardsii and the closely related Sagmariasus verreauxi.[6] Jasus lalandii is the most important commercial rock lobster in southern Africa.[7]

References

  1. T. Jeffery Parker (1883). "On the structure of the head in Palinurus, with especial reference to the classification of the genus" (PDF). Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New Zealand. 16: 297–307.
  2. 1 2 3 Lipke Holthuis (1991). Marine lobsters of the world. Food and Agriculture Organization. ISBN 92-5-103027-8.
  3. Tin-Yam Chan (2010). "Jasus Parker, 1883". World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved December 10, 2011.
  4. R. W. George & A. R. Main (1967). "The evolution of spiny lobsters (Palinuridae): a study of evolution in the marine environment". Evolution. 21 (4): 803–820. doi:10.2307/2406775. JSTOR 2406775.
  5. Bruce F. Phillips (2006). Lobsters: Biology, Management, Aquaculture and Fisheries. John Wiley & Sons. p. 236. ISBN 978-1-4051-2657-1.
  6. "Lobster fishery". New South Wales Department of Primary Industries. June 27, 2007.
  7. "Rock lobster Jasus lalandii". knet.co.za. Archived from the original on October 20, 2007. Retrieved July 4, 2007.
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