Enoplometopus antillensis 

Scope: Global
Language: English

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Taxonomy [top]

Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family
Animalia Arthropoda Malacostraca Decapoda Enoplometopidae

Scientific Name: Enoplometopus antillensis
Species Authority: Lüken, 1865
Common Name(s):
English Flaming Reef Lobster, Dwarf Reef Lobster
Enoplometopus dentatus Miers, 1880
Hoplometopus antillensis (Lüken, 1865)

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria: Least Concern ver 3.1
Year Published: 2011
Date Assessed: 2009-12-03
Assessor(s): Chan, T.Y. & Wahle, R.
Enoplometopus antillensis has been assessed as Least Concern. This species is widely distributed in the eastern, central and western Atlantic Ocean and is thought to be common it at least parts of its range. No catch data for this species is available and it is unknown if the harvesting of wild specimens has any significant effects on its population size though it is unlikely that harvest for the pet trade is having a significant effect on the population size. Further research is required to establish its population size and the potential effects of harvesting on this species’ populations.

Geographic Range [top]

Range Description:This species is found in the eastern, central and western Atlantic Ocean (Poupin 2003, Chan and Ng 2008). In the western Atlantic, it is known from: the Bermuda Islands, Florida (USA), the Bahamas, the Netherland Antilles, the French West Indies, the Caribbean coast of Panama, Columbia, and south to Cabo Frio in Brazil (Gordon 1968, Fausto-Filho 1970, Manning and Camp 1989, Poupin 2003, Ceballos et al. 2005, Gregati et al. 2006). It is also known from Ascension and St. Helena Islands in the central Atlantic Ocean. Also, in the eastern Atlantic Ocean it is known from: Madeira, the Canary Islands, the Gulf of Guinea, and Cape Verde (Gordon 1968, Wirtz et al. 1988, Manning and Camp 1989, Poupin 2003).
Countries occurrence:
Anguilla; Antigua and Barbuda; Aruba; Bahamas; Barbados; Belize; Benin; Bermuda; Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba (Saba, Sint Eustatius); Brazil; Cameroon; Cape Verde; Cayman Islands; Colombia; Congo; Costa Rica; Côte d'Ivoire; Cuba; Curaçao; Dominica; Dominican Republic; El Salvador; Equatorial Guinea; French Guiana; Gabon; Ghana; Grenada; Guadeloupe; Guatemala; Guyana; Haiti; Honduras (Honduran Caribbean Is., Honduras (mainland)); Jamaica; Liberia; Martinique; Mexico (Campeche, Quintana Roo, Tabasco, Tamaulipas, Veracruz, Yucatán); Montserrat; Nicaragua (Nicaragua (mainland), Nicaraguan Caribbean Is.); Nigeria; Panama; Portugal (Madeira); Puerto Rico; Saint Barthélemy; Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha (Ascension, Saint Helena (main island), Tristan da Cunha); Saint Kitts and Nevis; Saint Lucia; Saint Martin (French part); Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; Sint Maarten (Dutch part); Spain (Canary Is.); Suriname; Togo; Trinidad and Tobago; Turks and Caicos Islands; United States (Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas); Virgin Islands, British; Virgin Islands, U.S.
FAO Marine Fishing Areas:
Additional data:
Lower depth limit (metres):201
Upper depth limit (metres):5
Range Map:Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.

Population [top]

Population:It is thought to be common and has been found to be locally abundant in the central Atlantic Ocean (Poupin 2003).
Current Population Trend:Unknown
Additional data:
Population severely fragmented:Unknown

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology:This species inhabits shallow waters in rocky and coral reefs and is generally found at depths of 5-201 m (Poupin 2003, R. Wahle pers. comm. 2009). This is a cryptic species that often hides in crevices during the day (Manning and Camp 1989).

Use and Trade [top]

Use and Trade: Currently this species is harvested for the pet trade, however it is not known in what quantities this species is taken.

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s): This species has no commercial fishery (Poupin 2003, Gregati et al. 2006). This is a highly prized species in the aquarium trade (Calado et al. 2003, Gregati et al. 2006). Its estimated commercial value is 25-40 Euros per specimen (Calado 2006). Specimens are currently harvested from wild populations for the aquarium trade, however commercial culture techniques are being developed (Calado et al. 2003).Calado (2006) considers this species to be vulnerable in Madeira due to its commercial value and its novelty in the aquarium market. No catch data for this species is available and it is unknown if the harvesting of wild specimens has any significant effects on its population size.

Furthermore, coral reefs in the Caribbean are exposed to a number of threats, such as increase in sedimentation, pollution and climate change, which have led major degradation of coral reef habitats (Caribbean Environment Programme 2001). However, this species is widely distributed and it is therefore unlikely that it is experiencing a significant decline in population size.

Conservation Actions [top]

Conservation Actions: There is no species-specific conservation measures in place for this species, and only a few countries have implemented regulations on the collection of ornamental decapods.

Further research on the life history, population structure, and level of harvesting is needed (Calado et al. 2003).

Citation: Chan, T.Y. & Wahle, R. 2011. Enoplometopus antillensis. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2011: e.T184993A8341204. . Downloaded on 25 February 2017.