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Spawning Habits of the Spiny Lobster

Similar to clawed lobsters, the lesser known spiny lobsters live in nooks in coral reefs where they hide from such predators as sharks, moray eels and fish. Spiny lobsters do not have the large front claws that typically characterize lobsters. Instead, this group of lobsters relies on the spines on its shell and antennae to provide protection. Although human beings eat them, most spiny lobster populations are healthy and not overfished.

Location
- Mating and spawning occurs in the warmer waters around tropical and subtropical reefs. In the cooler waters of the subtropics, spiny lobsters migrate to the deep for the winter, but they return to the shallower waters every year for mating season. Mating occurs in sheltered areas, such as crevices, that are well-protected from predators, including large fish and sea turtles. The location must also be suitable for the larva or close to such a location.
Timing
- The timing for spiny lobsters' spawning depends on the climate and the resulting water temperature. Spiny lobsters in subtropical areas, such as Florida, mate once a year. They mate from mid-spring through summer with peak spawning in May and June and peak egg-laying in July and August. Male spiny lobsters can mate with several females in one mating season. When spiny lobsters live in captivity or in tropical climates where the water stays warm year-round, they will mate several times a year.
Copulation
- Rather than age, developed reproductive organs and the size of the lobster denote sexual maturity, as the male must wrap his legs around the female. The male spiny lobster might court the female or he might use his legs to force copulation. The male wraps his legs around the female so that her back rests against his thorax. After brief movements, the male deposits a gray glob of sperm masses called a "tarspot" onto the female's chest. The female releases her eggs while scratching at the masses to release the sperm to fertilize the eggs.
Eggs
- Mating once produces 500,000 to 1.7 million eggs because most of the larvae do not live to adulthood, according to the National Marine Fisheries Service. The female carries these eggs on the underside of her tail, which she curls protectively around the eggs. Researchers refer to a female with eggs as "berried." The eggs remain on the female until they harden and darken. The female then places the eggs in a safe place, often on the underside of vegetation. The eggs hatch four weeks after fertilization.

Animals & Science