Panulirus homarus is a species of spiny lobster that lives along the coasts of the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It lives in shallow water, and feeds on the brown mussel Perna perna. It typically grows to a length of . Alongside the dark green nominate subspecies, two red subspecies are recognised, one around the Arabian Peninsula, and one around southern Africa. It is the subject of small-scale fishery. Distribution Panulirus homarus is found in the Indo-West Pacific region, from East Africa along the coast of the Indian Ocean, as far as the Malay Archipelago, and then along the coasts of the Pacific Ocean to Japan in the north and Australia, New Caledonia and probably the Marquesas Islands in the south. Panulirus homarus lives in shallow water, usually deep, including among rocks in the surf zone, but occasionally up to , and in turbid water. Description The body of P. homarus can reach up to in total length, or a carapace length of , but the average is around . There is variation in the colouration, which parallels other morphological differences; most animals are dark green and have only very small squamae in the grooves of the abdominal tergites. Other animals are red, and have much more prominent sculpturation in the grooves on the abdominal tergites. The green form is known as the form, and the red form as the form. Subspecies Three subspecies of P. homarus are recognised, with the marked difference between the form and the form of the animal being used to separate them. Linnaeus' original description of the species was based on microsculpta material, so the nominate subspecies, P. h. homarus, is used for that subspecies. It is found throughout the species range. The form occurs in two distinct geographical areas, each of which is considered a separate subspecies: P. h. megasculpta in southern Arabia and Socotra, and P. h. rubellus off the coasts of Madagascar and Southern Africa. Ecology Panulirus homarus is nocturnal and gregarious. It feeds mostly on the brown mussel Perna perna. In South Africa, it is one of the main prey items for the Cape clawless otter. Fishery In South Africa, P. homarus was only the subject of small-scale fisheries until 1969, when a company was formed to exploit it. It is also the most important species of spiny lobster to the lobster fisheries of Tamil Nadu and Kerala (India), although in East