Squat Lobster

Squat lobsters are dorsoventrally flattened crustaceans with long tails held curled beneath the cephalothorax. They belong to the superfamilies Galatheoidea and Chirostyloidea, part of the decapod infraorder Anomura alongside groups such as the hermit crabs and mole crabs. They are found worldwide in the oceans, from near the surface down to deep-sea hydrothermal vents, and more than 900 species have been described across around 60 genera. Some species form dense aggregations on the sea floor or in the water column, and a small number are commercially fished.