Homarus gammarus

Homarus gammarus
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Malacostraca
Order:	Decapoda
Suborder:	Pleocyemata
Family:	Nephropidae
Genus:	Homarus
Species:	H. gammarus
Binomial name
Homarus gammarus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Synonyms[2]
Cancer gammarus Linnaeus, 1758 Astacus marinus Fabricius, 1775 Astacus gammarus Pennant, 1777 Homarus marinus Weber, 1795 Astacus europaeus Couch, 1837 Homarus vulgaris H. Milne-Edwards, 1837

Homarus gammarus, known as the European lobster or common lobster, is a species of clawed lobster from the eastern Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea and parts of the Black Sea. It is closely related to the American lobster, H. americanus. It may grow to a length of 60 cm (24 in) and a mass of 6 kilograms (13 lb), and bears a conspicuous pair of claws. In life, the lobsters are blue, only becoming "lobster red" on cooking. Mating occurs in the summer, producing eggs which are carried by the females for up to a year before hatching into planktonic larvae. Homarus gammarus is a highly esteemed food, and is widely caught using lobster pots, mostly around the British Isles.