Invertebrate
East Coast Rock Lobster
Panulirus homarus
A warm-water spiny lobster of the subtropical east coast, sheltering in shallow rocky reefs and gullies from the Eastern Cape into KwaZulu-Natal.
Also known as crayfish
- Habitat
- Shallow warm-water rocky reefs and gullies of the east coast
The East Coast rock lobster is the spiny lobster of the warm Indian Ocean shores of South Africa's east coast. Clawless like its western cousin, it relies on stout, spiny antennae and a heavily armoured shell, and hides by day in holes and crevices on shallow rocky reefs, coming out to feed after dark. It is a popular target for shore and dive fishers along the subtropical coast, and is managed with seasonal closures, size limits and bag limits to protect the resource.