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lobster
lobster marine crustacean with five pairs of jointed legs, the first bearing large pincerlike claws of unequal size adapted to crushing the shells of its prey. The segmented body of the lobster consists of a large cephalothorax (made up of 14 segments) and a moveable, muscular abdomen (composed of 7 segments). It is covered with a chitinous exoskeleton that is dark green in the living animal and bright red when boiled. As the lobster grows, the exoskeleton is periodically molted and a new, larger one is formed in its place. Lobsters have 20 pairs of gills attached to the bases of the legs and to the sides of the body; the gills are protected by the carapace, the large area of the exoskeleton covering the back and sides of the cephalothorax. In addition to the legs, the appendages consist of 2 paired antennae, 6 pairs of mouth parts, and the small swimmerets attached to the abdominal segments. In the female the eggs remain attached to the swimmerets for 10 or 11 months until they hatch into free-swimming larvae. The larvae swim for about a year, molting between 14 and 17 times before they settle to the bottom and begin to take on adult characteristics. Lobsters crawl briskly over the ocean floor and swim backward with great speed by scooping motions of the muscular abdomen and tail, but are clumsy on land. They are scavengers but also prey on shellfish and may even attack live fish and large gastropods. Over a period of five years they grow to an average weight of 3 lb (1.4 kg). The common American lobster, Homarus americanus, is found inshore in summer and in deeper waters in winter from Labrador to North Carolina, but especially along the New England coast, where the chief lobster fisheries are located. Lobsters are caught in slatted wooden traps, or "pots," baited with dead fish. In Europe a species of Homarus similar to the American is found, but the smaller Norway lobster is the chief seafood variety. The spiny, or rock, lobsters, found in warm seas of both hemispheres, are actually marine crayfish (genus Panulirus ); they lack claws but have sharp spines on the carapace. The stout-bodied, sometimes brightly colored squat lobsters are close relatives of the hermit crab; their broad abdomens are usually tucked under their bodies, as in crabs, but can be extended and used for backward swimming, as in the true lobsters. Lobsters are protected by law and are raised by several hatcheries on the New England coast; nevertheless, they are still in danger of extinction. Lobsters are classified in the phylum Arthropoda , subphylum Crustacea, order Decapoda, family Homaridae. |
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"lobster." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "lobster." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-lobster.html "lobster." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-lobster.html |
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lobster
lob·ster / ˈläbstər/ • n. a large marine crustacean (Homarus and other genera, class Malacostraca) with stalked eyes and the first of its five pairs of limbs modified as pincers. Several species include the American lobster (H. americanus). ∎ the flesh of this animal as food. ∎ any of various similar crustaceans, esp. certain crayfish whose claws are eaten as food. • v. [intr.] catch lobsters. ORIGIN: Old English lopustre, alteration of Latin locusta ‘crustacean, locust.’ |
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"lobster." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "lobster." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-lobster.html "lobster." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-lobster.html |
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lobster
lobster A crustacean, Homerus vulgaris. A 100‐g portion (meat from half a dressed lobster) is a rich source of protein, niacin, vitamin B12, and copper; a source of zinc, vitamin B1, niacin, folate, and calcium; contains 370 mg of sodium and 3.5 g of fat; supplies 130 kcal (550 kJ).
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DAVID A. BENDER. "lobster." A Dictionary of Food and Nutrition. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. DAVID A. BENDER. "lobster." A Dictionary of Food and Nutrition. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O39-lobster.html DAVID A. BENDER. "lobster." A Dictionary of Food and Nutrition. 2005. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O39-lobster.html |
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lobster
lobster Large, long-tailed, marine decapod crustacean. True lobsters (Homaridae) possess enlarged bulbous chelae (claws) and a segmented body. Some species are edible. Lobsters live in rocky crevices at the bottom of the ocean, feeding at night on seaweed and animals. Weight: up to 23kg (50lbs).
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"lobster." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "lobster." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-lobster.html "lobster." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-lobster.html |
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lobster
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T. F. HOAD. "lobster." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. T. F. HOAD. "lobster." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-lobster.html T. F. HOAD. "lobster." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-lobster.html |
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lobster
lobster •all-nighter, biter, blighter, fighter, igniter, inciter, indicter, inviter, lighter, mitre (US miter), overnighter, reciter, righter, sighter, smiter, writer
•shyster • rhymester • backbiter
•expediter • prizefighter • dogfighter
•bullfighter • gunfighter • lamplighter
•highlighter • downlighter
•moonlighter • uplighter • firelighter
•screenwriter • scriptwriter
•copywriter • signwriter • typewriter
•songwriter • ghostwriter
•underwriter
•blotter, cotta, cottar, dotter, gotta, hotter, jotter, knotter, otter, pelota, plotter, potter, ricotta, rotter, spotter, squatter, terracotta, totter, trotter
•crofter
•concocter, doctor, proctor
•Volta • prompter • wanter
•adopter, dioptre
•Costa, coster, defroster, foster, Gloucester, impostor, paternoster, roster
•lobster, mobster
•oxter • monster • songster
•witchdoctor • helicopter
•teleprompter • globetrotter
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"lobster." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "lobster." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-lobster.html "lobster." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-lobster.html |
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