UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PUBLICATIONS 



IN 



ZOOLOGY 



Vol. 16, No. 12, pp. 139-152, 2 figures in text March 17, 1916 



NOTES ON THE SPINY LOBSTER (PANULIBUS 



INTERRUPTUS) OF THE CALIFORNIA 



COAST 



BY 



BENNET M. ALLEN 



This account is based upon work done under the auspices of the 

 California Fish and Game Commission from June to January, 1911, 

 and in the summers of 1912 and 1913. The investigations were chiefly 

 along economic lines, hence these notes explaining the scientific results 

 of the work must be considered merely as a by-product of the main 

 work. It is unfortunate that these observations do not extend through 

 the entire year. 



Throughout the course of the work the Scripps Institution for 

 Biological Research of the University of California has been ray 

 headquarters, and the splendid facilities for work there have been 

 freely placed at my disposal. I am deeply indebted to Dr. William 

 E. Ritter for hearty encouragement and help. He has given many 

 valuable suggestions. 



SIZE 

 Specimens of the spiny lobster weighing over ten pounds are very 

 uncommon, although those of four, five, and six pounds weight are not 

 infrequently met with. I myself saw a specimen caught at Catalina 

 Island that weighed seventeen pounds and I have heard reports of 

 others that were said to weigh twenty pounds. These large ones are 

 usually males and are commonly called "bulls," although I have 

 seen a female weighing six and one-half pounds and eighteen inches 

 in length, and have been told of others that reached still greater size. 

 Practically nothing is known about the length of life of these animals 

 or their rate of growth. 



