Metanephrops
1 species
Metanephrops is a genus of lobsters, commonly known as scampi. Important species for fishery include Metanephrops australiensis (Australian scampi) and Metanephrops challengeri (New Zealand scampi). It differs from other lobsters such as Homarus and Nephrops norvegicus in that its two main claws are of equal size, rather than being differentiated into a crusher and a pincher. There are 18 extant species recognised in the genus:
A further three species are known from fossils:
Metanephrops inhabit burrows located in sticky soft substrate that they build themselves. They typically live at depths ranging between 50-994m below the surface of the ocean, but are found in greater abundances at 150m or deeper. This classifies them as a "deep sea lobster" since they inhabit a region below 50m under the surface of the ocean. Occurrences of Metanephrops are prevalent on the west side of ocean basins, especially the Indo-West-Pacific, ranging from latitudes of 35∘N to 50∘S. Only two of the extant species of Metanephrops inhabit the western basin of the Atlantic Ocean. M. binghami resides in the Gulf of Mexico and around the Caribbean and Cuba; while M. rubellus resides off of the southern coast of Brazil and off the coast of Uruguay.
Metanephrops is a genus of lobsters, commonly known as scampi. Important species for fishery include Metanephrops australiensis (Australian scampi) and Metanephrops challengeri (New Zealand scampi). It differs from other lobsters such as Homarus and Nephrops norvegicus in that its two main claws are of equal size, rather than being differentiated into a crusher and a pincher. There are 18 extant species recognised in the genus:
A further three species are known from fossils:
Metanephrops inhabit burrows located in sticky soft substrate that they build themselves. They typically live at depths ranging between 50-994m below the surface of the ocean, but are found in greater abundances at 150m or deeper. This classifies them as a "deep sea lobster" since they inhabit a region below 50m under the surface of the ocean. Occurrences of Metanephrops are prevalent on the west side of ocean basins, especially the Indo-West-Pacific, ranging from latitudes of 35∘N to 50∘S. Only two of the extant species of Metanephrops inhabit the western basin of the Atlantic Ocean. M. binghami resides in the Gulf of Mexico and around the Caribbean and Cuba; while M. rubellus resides off of the southern coast of Brazil and off the coast of Uruguay.
