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''Metanephrops challengeri'' (commonly known as the New Zealand lobster or New Zealand scampi) is a species of slim, pink lobster that lives around the coast of New Zealand. It is typically long and weighs around . The carapace and abdomen are smooth, and adults are white with pink and brown markings and a conspicuous pair of long, slim claws. ''M. challengeri'' lives in burrows at depths of in a variety of sediments. Although individuals can live for up to 15 years, the species shows low fecundity, where small numbers of larvae hatch at an advanced stage. ''M. challengeri'' is a significant prey item for ling, as well as being an important fishery species for human consumption; trawlers catch around per year under the limitations of New Zealand's Quota Management System. The species was first collected by the ''Challenger'' expedition of 1872–1876, but only described as separate from related species by Heinrich Balss in 1914. Although originally classified in the genus ''Nephrops'', it was moved in 1972 to a new genus, ''Metanephrops'', along with most other species then classified in ''Nephrops''. ==Description== ''Metanephrops challengeri'' is a slender lobster, typically long, but exceptionally up to ,〔 and weighing up to each.〔 Its chelipeds (legs bearing the main chelae, or claws) are long, narrow, and slightly unequal.〔 The second and third pairs of pereiopods also end in small claws, but the fourth and fifth pairs do not.〔 The carapace is smooth, and extends forwards into a long, narrow rostrum, only slightly shorter than the carapace.〔 Adults are mostly white, but the front half of the rostrum, and the sides of the abdomen, are pink.〔 Bright red bands extend across the base of the rostrum, the posterior edge of the carapace, the chelipeds, and each of the abdominal segments.〔 The dorsal parts of the abdomen are brown, and there are two brown saddles on the dorsal carapace.〔 ''M. challengeri'' is considered to have the most primitive morphology of any species of ''Metanephrops'', having even fewer novelties than the oldest known fossil species, ''M. rossensis''.〔 Its rostrum is longer than that of other species in the ''thomsoni'' species group, and the ridge along the midline of the carapace only has two small spines.〔 Unlike some other species of ''Metanephrops'', the carapace is smooth, as are the abdominal tergae, and the chelipeds are covered in fine granules.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Metanephrops challengeri」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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