Spiny lobster
Panulirus marginatus
Sighting evidence at Second Cathedral, Lanai
Photo: David R · CC BY-NC
The banded spiny lobster is endemic to the Hawaiian Islands and is found tucked into every overhang and crevice throughout Second Cathedral's network of chambers. Adults can reach 40 cm in body length and are social, sheltering in groups during the day and emerging at night to forage on invertebrates and algae. The species is commercially fished in Hawaii but populations within the marine managed areas around Lanai remain relatively healthy, and their density at Second Cathedral is noticeably higher than at more accessible Maui reef sites.
Evidence at this site
No confirmed records on file at this site
Spiny lobster is listed as a curated species here based on historical reports.