Summary
The ornate spiny lobster, unlike other lobsters, lacks big front claws and relies upon spines covering majority of its body as its primary form of defence. The antennae and attenules on the Panulirus ornatus are used to provide protection and chemoreception. It is notable for its powerful tail-fan backward escape response which occurs when threatened (Pitcher et al. 1992c).
The tropical spiny rock lobster is widely distributed across the Indo-Pacific but is particularly abundant in the continental shelf area between the North Australian coast and Papua New Guinea (George, 1968).
Tropical spiny rock lobsters are typically known for being omnivorous scavengers feeding on a diverseassemblange of benthic species including: molluscs, crustaceans, echinoderms, seagrass and algae (Pitcher et al, 1992c).
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