During night dives along randomly selected transects across sand, seagrass,
and rubble on the reef flat of Looe Key, a spur-and-groove coral reef, spiny
lobsters (Panulirus argus) from dens on the forereef
were observed foraging on the reef flat, particularly on the extensive rubble
ridge and also relatively frequently in Thalassia.
Subsequent sampling of the rubble revealed hundreds of taxa of appropriate
prey items, many at high densities; the density of
Cerithium litteratum, a favoured food item, was as high
as 180 individuals m-2. Arthropods, especially spider
crabs (Pitho spp.), were common in seagrass. Gut
contents of 75 intermoult lobsters caught on offshore reefs at Biscayne
National Park and Dry Tortugas National Park included a myriad of prey items,
predominantly molluscs—especially gastropods (49%), chitons
(15%), and bivalves (11%)—and arthropods (12%);
many of the species in lobster guts were rubble dwellers, but some guts
contained multiple prey peculiar to seagrass and sand. It is concluded that
Panulirus argus can forage successfully wherever
suitable prey items, especially molluscs, are abundant. However, where a wide
range of substrata, including rubble, is available, rubble is preferred
because of its abundant, accessible prey.
Herpetofaunal Inventories of the National Parks of South Florida and the Caribbean: Volume IV. Biscayne National Park