spiny lobster

American  

noun

1. any of several edible crustaceans of the family Palinuridae, differing from the true lobsters in having a spiny shell and lacking the large pincers.

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spiny lobster British  

noun

1. Also called: rock lobster.   crawfish.   langouste.  any of various large edible marine decapod crustaceans of the genus Palinurus and related genera, having a very tough spiny carapace

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Etymology

Origin of spiny lobster

First recorded in 1810–20

Example Sentences

On California’s North Coast, where other urchin nemeses — like otters, spiny lobsters and sheephead — are lacking, 96% of the region’s kelp forests vanished in the decade following the sea star collapse.

From Los Angeles Times

Two Southern California men were fined in excess of $60,000 each and had their fishing licenses permanently revoked for poaching abalone and spiny lobsters off the coast of Catalina Island.

From Los Angeles Times

When the waters south of Miami turned Jacuzzi hot this summer, topping out at 101.1 degrees Fahrenheit in Manatee Bay, scientists agonized over the impact on parrotfish, grunts, spiny lobsters and coral reefs.

From Scientific American

In the image, she’s grinning ear to ear while sitting next to her husband on a boat, their bodies covered in 28 California spiny lobsters.

From Los Angeles Times

Juvenile Caribbean spiny lobster are finding shelter within the submerged roots before their journey to nearby reefs.

From BBC