Nephrops norvegicus

Nephrops norvegicus
Scientific classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Malacostraca
Order: Decapoda
Suborder: Pleocyemata
Family: Nephropidae
Genus: Nephrops
Species:
N. norvegicus
Binomial name
Nephrops norvegicus
Synonyms
  • Cancer norvegicus Linnaeus, 1758
  • Astacus norvegicus Fabricius, 1775
  • Homarus norvegicus Weber, 1795
  • Astacus rugosus Rafinesque, 1814
  • Nephropsis cornubiensis Bate & Rowe, 1880

Nephrops norvegicus, known variously as the Norway lobster, Dublin Bay prawn, langoustine (compare langostino) or scampi, is a slim, coral-colored lobster that grows up to 25 cm (10 in) long, and is "the most important commercial crustacean in Europe". It is now the only extant species in the genus Nephrops, after several other species were moved to the closely related genus Metanephrops. It lives in the north-eastern Atlantic Ocean, and parts of the Mediterranean Sea, but is absent from the Baltic Sea and Black Sea. Adults emerge from their burrows at night to feed on worms and fish.