Flatback blind lobster

Stereomastis sculpta

Crustaceans
IUCN: Least concern

Usual depth402–1,545 m
Water temperature0–29 °C
Best monthsMay, June, and October
How commonOccasional

About this species

Stereomastis sculpta is a species of "strange, blind crustacean" resembling a prawn or a squat lobster. It has a cosmopolitan distribution in deep water, being found on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean, in the Mediterranean Sea, and across much of the Indo-West Pacific, at depths of 200–4,000 metres (660–13,120 ft).

Text from the Wikipedia article “Stereomastis sculpta”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the article

Where and when

Where it has been recorded

Worldwide

Loading the map

Best months

Worldwide (open data)

January: 14 records
February: 20 records
March: 21 records
April: 31 records
May: 53 records
June: 52 records
July: 33 records
August: 29 records
September: 43 records
October: 55 records
November: 43 records
December: 8 records

Depth and water temperature

Depth

Mostly recorded at 402–1,545 m · Deepest record: 2,857.5 m

0–10 m: 20 records
10–20 m: 0 records
20–30 m: 0 records
30–40 m: 0 records
40–50 m: 0 records
50–60 m: 0 records
60–70 m: 1 records
70–80 m: 0 records
80–90 m: 1 records
90–100 m: 0 records
100–110 m: 0 records
110+ m: 348 records

Water temperature

Recorded in surface water of 0–29 °C

0–2 °C: 16 records
2–4 °C: 21 records
4–6 °C: 0 records
6–8 °C: 1 records
8–10 °C: 11 records
10–12 °C: 36 records
12–14 °C: 4 records
14–16 °C: 18 records
16–18 °C: 11 records
18–20 °C: 14 records
20–22 °C: 9 records
22–24 °C: 4 records
24–26 °C: 53 records
26–28 °C: 42 records
28–30 °C: 24 records

Names and classification

English: Flatback blind lobster, flatback blind lobster, Flatback Lobster

Names in 2 more languages

Spanish: Langosta espalda plana
French: polychèle sculptée

Other scientific names: Eryoneicus caecus, Eryoneicus faxoni, Pentacheles spinosus, Polycheles sculptus

Similar species

Pink Blind Lobster
Stereomastis phosphorus
Stereomastis polita
Polycheles typhlops
Smooth blind lobster
Pentacheles laevis
Polycheles baccatus
Polycheles coccifer

Sources and credits

Names and taxonomy: WoRMS (CC BY 4.0) and the GBIF Backbone (CC BY 4.0). Photos: iNaturalist observers, each under the licence shown (CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA).

Depth, temperature, months and maps: records from OBIS and GBIF under CC0 or CC BY.
Descriptions: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA, each linked to its article.
Conservation status as published by GBIF (IUCN Red List).
858 open-data records from 1880 to 2022.

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