DONATE
Back to Fish4Life Project
Help improve Fish4Life

Fish4Life provides everything you need to enjoy seafood responsibly. Explore information and practical tips for safe and sustainable seafood consumption, and help protect marine life by reporting undersized or illegally traded seafood.

Mediterranean slipper lobster
Scyllarides latus
Κωλοχτύπα

Sustainability Status

Highly exploited

REPORT IT
Help us protect our seas by reporting illegal or undersized fish that you see in markets, restaurants or fishing boats
Fishstocks – Declining due to overexploitation
Bad choice –Consumption of this species is unsustainable

Legal

Minimum Size

–

Prohibited Consumption Period

–

Sustainable

Minimum Size

30 cm (Total length) , 16 cm (Carapace length) or 1 kg

Avoid Consumption Period

Year round

Advice for Consumption

This species is heavily overexploited. Its consumption is therefore currently considered unsustainable until stocks recover.

Greek legislation does not establish legal minimum size and no closed season for this species, leaving both juvenile and breeding individuals unprotected.

If you do choose to consume this species, it is essential to respect the recommended minimum sustainable size, select larger, mature lobsters, and avoid consuming individuals caught during the breeding season.

Choosing larger, mature lobsters helps reduce fishing pressure on juvenile individuals.

Archipelagos Tips

If you spot lobsters being sold during the closed season, undersized lobsters, or egg-bearing females being caught or sold during the breeding season, please report it to us.

Your observations help us monitor the extent of this problem.

Common names

FR

Cigale

it

Cicala di mare

es

Cigarra

tr

Ayi istakozu

pt

Cavaco

nl

Grote beerkreeft

de

Großer Bärenkrebs

toxicity

This species is safe to consume.

iucn info

Data deficient (DD)

Description

Compact brown outer shell with five pairs of sharp pointed legs (pereiopods) without claws. One pair of frontal antennae. Electric blue edges on the body.

It looks like Scyllarides herklotsii (Red slipper lobster) which has slightly different coloration and size.

Did you know?

Unlike many lobsters that swim backwards using their tails, Schyllarides latus mostly moves by walking sideways along the sea floor. It helps them navigate rocky crevices and hide from predators.

Ecological Aspects

Diet

Carnivorous.
Feeds on mollusks.

habitat

Benthic.
Found on rocky or sandy substrate.

Max size & depth range

Max length: 45 cm
Max weight: 2 kg
Depth range: 4-100 m

breeding & Growth

Gonochoric (seperate sexes).
Spawns from June through August. Females carry the eggs on their abdomen for 4 – 8 weeks until they hatch.
Growth rate: Slow-moderate (k = 0.20yr⁻¹)

Longevity & presence

Lifespan: 10-15 years
Max reported age: 15 years
Distribution: Mediterranean and Eastern Atlantic.

appearance changes

Generally quite elusive; it is mottled brown to brownish-purple, often with lighter and darker patches that aid in camouflaging them on rocky and sandy substrates. They undergo one molt per year as adults.

Reproductive Cycle

Egg count: 100,000-350,000 eggs
Reproductive frequency: Once annually.
Facebook Youtube Instagram

Help improve Fish4Life!

How did you find Fish4Life?
Is there anything you would improve?
Is there anything else you would like us to add?

Thank you for your contribution. This project is built for the public and should be shaped by its community. We welcome your comments and any information you feel is important to include.

Spotted illegal or undersized seafood? Report it!

Upload a Photo
Date & Location
Where did you spot it?
Please let us know where
What is the name of the business or fishing vessel selling the seafood?
Description:
Additional information (optional)

Your contribution helps us document illegal and unsustainable fishing practices and protect our seas.

If you’d like to learn more about the work of the Archipelagos Institute of Marine Conservation, please visit our website: https://archipelago.gr/

Good choice – Consumption of this species is currently considered sustainable

Illegal species – Fishing, selling and consumption of this species is illegal

Fishstocks – Declining due to overexploitation

Think before you eat – This species faces increasing pressures and should only be consumed responsibly

Bad choice – Consumption of this species is unsustainable

Health concerns –
Can accumulate dangerously high levels of toxic substances harmful to health

Alien / Invasive – This species is not from this region and can have a negative impact on the ecosystem and threaten local biodiversity, so it is sustainable to eat

Aquafarms – You will commonly find this species coming from aquafarms