Palinurus elephas

Palinurus elephas is a common species of spiny lobster, found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean, from southern Norway to Morocco and the Azores, and in the Mediterranean Sea, except its eastern extremes. It lives on rocky exposed coasts below the intertidal zone, mainly at depths of . It is named after the ancient Roman Tyrrhenian sea port of Palinurus (modern day Palinuro, Campania, Italy) where they are found in abundance off its promontory. ==Description==

P. elephas may reach up to long, ==Reproduction==

The breeding season is in September and October, with the female brooding the reddish eggs. These eggs hatch about six months later in the spring as flattened, leaf-shaped, planktonic larvae (phyllosoma larvae). ==Diet==

It is nocturnal and feeds on small worms, crabs or dead animals, hiding in rock crevices or caves during the day. ==Uses==

It is a much sought-after delicacy and is widely caught for food around the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic coasts of Morocco, Portugal, Spain and southern France, mostly with lobster pots. It is also caught less intensively off the Atlantic Coasts of Britain and Ireland. There are also small fisheries for this species on the west coast of Scotland, employing tangle nets or lobster pots. Palinurus elephas is the main ingredient of most lobster dishes around the Mediterranean shores, like the Menorcan caldereta de langosta (see lobster stew). ==References==