A behind-the-scenes look at our crustacean collectionPhoto Galleries | Updated 8 years ago #1 This freshwater crayfish belongs to the species Cherax preissi which is usually dark coloured, ranging from brown-black to blue-black.Photo by Jessica Scholle, image copyright WA Museum #2 This local species is called “koonac” by Aboriginal people; species Cherax preissi.Photo by Jessica Scholle, image copyright WA Museum #3 This specimen was collected in Guildford, WA; species Cherax preissi.Photo by Jessica Scholle, image copyright WA Museum #4 It was collected in 1911… near one year ago! Then its owner gave it to the Western Australian Museum and this specimen joined our Crustacean collection; species Cherax preissi.Photo by Jessica Scholle, image copyright WA Museum Freshwater crayfish in the wild. This specimen belongs to the species Paranephrops planifrons.Photo into the public domain - Wikimedia Painted rock lobster specimen which belongs to the species Panulirus cygnus, commonly known as Western Rock Lobster.Photo by Jessica Scholle, image copyright WA Museum After death crustaceans become white. To give them a natural appearance when they are exposed to the public, most of crustaceans are painted; species Panulirus cygnusPhoto by Jessica Scholle, image copyright WA Museum Close-up to the head of the painted rock lobster; species Panulirus cygnus, commonly known as Western Rock Lobster.Photo by Jessica Scholle, image copyright WA Museum Close-up to the head of the painted rock lobster; species Panulirus cygnus, commonly known as Western Rock Lobster.Photo by Jessica Scholle, image copyright WA Museum These hairs are sensory like a cat’s whiskers. The Western rock lobster often digs in sand looking for prey; species Panulirus cygnusPhoto by Jessica Scholle, image copyright WA Museum Painted rock lobster specimen which belongs to the species Panulirus cygnus, commonly known as Western Rock Lobster.Photo by Jessica Scholle, image copyright WA Museum Rock lobster in the wild which belongs to the species Panulirus versicolor.Image copyright WA Museum This female rock lobster is using it’s a pair of abdominal appendages called swimmerets to carry, aerate and oxygenate its eggs. Image copyright WA Museum Rock lobster in the wild which belongs to the species Panulirus ornatus, commonly known as Ornate Rock Lobster or Ornate Spiny Lobster.Image copyright WA Museum This rock lobster was photographed during a fieldwork at Rob Roy Reefs, Kimberley region, WA, on 24 October 2012; species Panulirus ornatus.Image copyright WA Museum This rock lobster belongs to the species Panulirus Cygnus.Image copyright WA Museum This rock lobster specimen preserved in the WA Museum’s collections belongs to the species Jasus edwardsii, commonly known as Southern Rock Lobster.Photo by Jessica Scholle, image copyright WA Museum This specimen was collected on the South coast of Australia, in the region of Victoria. Southern rock lobsters are highly commercialized in New-Zealand. Species Jasus edwardsii.Photo by Jessica Scholle, image copyright WA Museum Moult of a female Packhorse Rock Lobster, species Sagmariasus verreuxi. This moult was given to the WA Museum by the Taronga Zoo of Sydney, NSW.Photo by Jessica Scholle, image copyright WA Museum Lobsters only occur in Europe and on the Atlantic coast of North America. Thus, there are no lobsters on the Australian coastline! The photo’s specimen belongs to the species Hommarus gammarus, commonly known as European lobster.Photo into the public domain - Wikimedia #1 When these three slipper lobsters were collected, they were first mistaken for a mum and her kids. However, scientists later recognize two different species…Photo by Jessica Scholle, image copyright WA Museum #2 … Indeed, the antennae shape is different in small and big specimens! Small slipper lobsters’ antennas are serrated (photo) whereas those of the “mum” are rounded. Photo by Jessica Scholle, image copyright WA Museum #3 Thus, the two small slipper lobsters belong to the species Petractus demani while the larger specimen belongs to the species Scyllarides haani. Photo by Jessica Scholle, image copyright WA Museum This slipper lobster belongs to the species Thenus australiensis, commonly known as Moreton Bay Bug or Northern Shovel-nosed lobster. This species is common in Queensland and New South Wales. Photo by Jessica Scholle, image copyright WA Museum This slipper lobster belongs to the species Ibacus peronii, commonly known as Balmain Bug or Southern Shovel-nosed lobster. This species is common in Queensland and New South Wales.Photo by Jessica Scholle, image copyright WA Museum Slipper lobster in the wild.Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0) - David Rolla - https://plus.google.com/104623964081378888743/posts?banner=pwa This crustacean specimen is a scampi, also known as Norwegian lobster. This specimen belongs to the genus Metanephrops.Image copyright WA Museum Scampi spceimen, also known as Norwegian lobster, which belongs to the species Nephropsis stewarti.Image copyright WA Museum Such as this scampi, WA Museum’s scientists keep and preserve some crustaceans in freezers for further analysis! This specimen belongs to the species Metanephrops australis.Photo by Jessica Scholle, image copyright WA Museum Cold preserve the shape but also the colour, at the opposite of alcohol solutions. Species Metanephrops australis.Photo by Jessica Scholle, image copyright WA Museum Scampi in the wild. This specimen belongs to the species Nephrops norvegicusCreative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) - Bathyporeia - https://www.flickr.com/photos/81858878@N00/ This crustacean with long legs and a small body is a squat lobster. Squat lobsters vary in carapace length from 9 centimetres down to a few millimetres. Species Eumunida pacifica.Photo by Jessica Scholle, image copyright WA Museum This squat lobster belongs to the species Allogalathea elegans, commonly known as the Feather Star Squat Lobster, Crinoid Squat Lobster or Elegant Squat Lobster.Image copyright WA Museum Crinoid Squat Lobsters generally use sea stars for camouflage and feed on and can change their colour to match the coloration of their host, though this behaviour is not systematic.Image copyright WA Museum Crinoid Squat Lobsters have colour which varies from dark red, blackish purple, orange to yellow, white or brown and generally have longitudinal stripes.Image copyright WA Museum This squat lobster belongs to the genus Galathea and was photographed by the Museum scientists during a fieldtrip in Browse Island, WA.Image copyright WA Museum This squat lobster belongs to the genus Galathea and was photographed by the Museum scientists during a fieldtrip in Browse Island, WA.Image copyright WA Museum This squat lobster belongs to the genus Uroptychus and was photographed by the Museum scientists during a fieldtrip at Rob Roy Reefs, Kimberley region, WA.Image copyright WA Museum #1 Blind lobsters live in darkness of oceans depths which has led them to being blind. These crustaceans only have small holes where the eyes would be. Can you see them? Photo by Jessica Scholle, image copyright WA Museum #2 All the legs of blind lobsters end by a claw but scientists are not able to explain the reason yet. Species Polycheles galil.Photo by Jessica Scholle, image copyright WA Museum Native Western Australian freshwater crayfish which belongs to the species Cherax tenuimnus, commonly known as Marron. The blue colour is from a rare mutation that occurs in many lobster species. Think of it as being a blue albino.Image copyright WA Museum Lobsters, crayfish, rock lobsters, slipper lobsters, blind lobsters… The Crustacean group hosts many species which are very similar in shape. However, they do not all live in the same environments and some of them have very divergent ecologies. This photo gallery shows several species that could be easily mistaken. Would you be able to recognise each crustacean? Further Information Do you know how to tell a lobster from a crayfish and a squat lobster from a slipper lobster? Read out dedicated article “Lobsters, rock lobsters and crayfish” to learn the main keys to identifying each species.