Vulnerable· population decreasing· assessed 2014

European spiny lobster

Palinurus elephas

Sighting evidence at Grotte de la Triperie, Marseille Calanques

Photo: Sylvain Le Bris · CC BY-NC

The European spiny lobster is a crevice-dwelling crustacean that shelters inside caves and rocky overhangs by day and emerges to forage at night. Individuals within Calanques National Park are notably large compared to fished zones, as the reserve protection allows them to reach their full lifespan. They play an important grazing role on sea urchins and encrusting invertebrates, helping to maintain biotic diversity on rocky substrates.

Evidence at this site

146 records within 25 km

Confidence: high

Last confirmed Jun 2026

Seasonality

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

How is this calculated?

Sighting evidence is compiled from iNaturalist observation records within a set proximity radius, filtered for quality-grade observations. “Last confirmed” is the date of the most recent research-grade record. Record count covers a rolling 24-month window. Confidence reflects record count, recency, and consistency of seasonal signal.

European spiny lobster

Evidence at this site

Seasonality

Also seen at other sites