RECENT DISCOVERIES OF THE RARE SPECIES HOMARUS-CAPENSIS (HERBST, 1792) ON THE SOUTH-AFRICAN COAST

The cape pygmy lobster, Homarus capensis, was until recently considere d to be rare or even extinct. In 1992, a specimen was found at Dassen Island, 56 km north of Cape Town, and this find led to the reporting o f at least another 20 individuals. Most recent finds are the result of regurgitations by fish which live in depths of 20 to 40 m. The known distribution of H. capensis has thus been extended and is now from Das sen Island on the Cape West Coast to Haga Haga, east of East London: a distance of 900 km. There are some differences in morphology between H. capensis and members of this genus found in the northern hemisphere (H. americanus and H. gammarus). In particular, the openings of the o viduct are much larger in H. capensis than in the other two species, s uggesting the Cape pigmy lobster probably produces larger eggs than th e American or European lobsters.