ABSTRACT
The five species of scyllarids actually living in the Mediterranean are discussed with regard to adult distribution, ecology, reproductive biology, larval development, and laboratory rearing. The native species, Scyllarides latus (Latreille, 1802) and Scyllarus arctus (Linnaeus, 1758), have been studied extensively and, therefore, many aspects of their biology are well known. The pygmy slipper lobster, Scyllarus pygmaeus (Bate, 1888), formerly considered to be a juvenile of S. arctus, needs, however, further study. Only one specimen of each of the two exotic species (Acantharctus posteli (Forest, 1963) and Scyllarus caparti Holthuis, 1952) has been collected to date in the Mediterranean. Updated data relevant to the distribution and reproductive periods of these species are given, along with the identification key of the adults. With regard to the phyllosoma (larval) and the postlarval stage (“pseudibacus” or “nisto”), data are incomplete, scarce, or even entirely absent (e.g., S. caparti). All past and current information relevant to the distribution of the larvae in the plankton, as well as attempts at rearing, are reviewed in this chapter. Since phyllosoma stage I larvae are known for at least four of the five Mediterranean species, this chapter provides an identification key for them. This chapter outlines the biology and ecology of the five Mediterranean species. General biology of scyllarids and specific information, such as genetics and behavior, of the Mediterranean species are covered in other chapters of this book (see Deiana et al., Chapter 3 for information on genetics, Sekiguchi et al., Chapter 4 on larval ecology, and Lavalli et al., Chapter 7, on behavior) and are not included in the present review.
