Lobster

This article is about clawed lobsters. For other uses, see Lobster (disambiguation).

"Homaridae" redirects here; not to be confused with Homeridae.

Lobster Temporal range:
European lobster (Homarus gammarus)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Clade:	Pancrustacea
Class:	Malacostraca
Order:	Decapoda
Suborder:	Pleocyemata
Superfamily:	Nephropoidea
Family:	Nephropidae Dana, 1852
Genera
List Acanthacaris Bate, 1888 Dinochelus Ahyong, Chan & Bouchet, 2010 Eunephrops Smith, 1885 Homarinus Kornfield, Williams & Steneck, 1995 Homarus Weber, 1795 Hoploparia † M'Coy, 1849 Jagtia † Tshudy & Sorhannus, 2000 Metanephrops Jenkins, 1972 Nephropides Manning, 1969 Nephrops Leach, 1814 Nephropsis Wood-Mason, 1873 Oncopareia † Bosquet, 1854 Palaeonephrops † Mertin, 1941 Paraclythia † Fritsch & Kafka, 1887 Pseudohomarus † van Hoepen, 1962 Thaumastocheles Wood-Mason, 1874 Thaumastochelopsis Bruce, 1988 Thymopides Burukovsky & Averin, 1977 Thymops Holthuis, 1974 Thymopsis Holthuis, 1974
Synonyms
Homaridae

Lobsters awaiting purchase in Trenton, Maine

Lobsters are malacostracan decapod crustaceans of the family Nephropidae or its synonym Homaridae. They have long bodies with muscular tails and live in crevices or burrows on the sea floor. Three of their five pairs of legs have claws, including the first pair, which are usually much larger than the others. Highly prized as seafood, lobsters are economically important and are often one of the most profitable commodities in the coastal areas they populate.

Commercially important species include two species of Homarus from the northern Atlantic Ocean; the smaller Nephrops norvegicus, known as true scampi, Norway lobster, or langoustine; and multiple small species in the genus Metanephrops, commonly called Pacific scampi.