Sand Lobster (Thenus Orientalis)

A subspecies of slipper lobster which is found in the Indian and the Pacific Ocean. There are a number of names that this species is associated with one of them being the Sand Lobster. Apart from that Bay lobster and flathead lobster are two other names that it is associated with it. Since it is quite often found near Moreton Bay in Australia it is sometimes referred to as the Moreton Bay bug.

The sand lobster is a favourite in Singapore and there it is also called Crayfish. Many Singaporean dishes are made from the sand lobster. This species is quite often confused with the Balmain Bug. However, the placement of the eyes demarcates the two clearly. The eyes of the sand lobster are placed at the margin of the carapace.

Sand lobster’s maximum length reaches to around 25 centimetres and the body is strongly depressed by shape. Its carapace length can also reach up to 5 centimetres on the whole. The species distribution is around Indo West Pacific area which starts from the east coast of Africa (the southern Red Sea, to Natal) to China and the Persian Gulf, southern Japan, the Philippines and from the Western Australian zone to Queensland. They are also found in Singapore and Malaysia.