Distribution Areas and Main Varieties of the Sea Cicada

The sea cicada generally refers to the slipper lobster, one of the 2 families in the superfamily Palinuroidea, order Decapoda, class Malacostraca, and a common shrimp-like species on the outer continental shelf of warm seas; 54 species have been recorded so far. So, where is it distributed? What are its main varieties?

1. Where is the sea cicada distributed?

Habitat of the sea cicada: it is found in both deep sea and offshore beaches.

Distribution range:

Mainland distribution: the coast of Liangcheng Town, Rizhao City, Shandong Province.

Taiwan, China distribution: it is produced along the coast of Taiwan, China.

World distribution: the Indo-West Pacific; from the east coast of Africa to Japan, Hawaii, Australia and New Caledonia.

2. What are the main varieties?

1. Sea cicada

A kind of slipper lobster, also known as haijieliu or haijieling (dialect), a specialty of Liangcheng Town, Rizhao, Shandong. It resembles a terrestrial cicada nymph, with a body divided into two sections, many legs, and a thin shell. It is mainly produced on the offshore beach near Anjia Village, Liangcheng Town, over a very small range, so its output is relatively low and it is precious because of its scarcity. After being pan-fried, the slipper lobster is incredibly crisp and exceptionally fresh, and is rich in minerals such as calcium, phosphorus and potassium.

2. Piglet shrimp

A kind of mantis shrimp, called thunder god shrimp by people in Hong Kong, China, and shrimp mantis head or sea chariot in Taiwan, China. It looks plump and rather amusing. Its claws are thick and short, dark red in colour, with a flat, pentagonal frontal process, and a hard, thick carapace. Its meat is savoury and is mostly used to make salad.

Related reading:

Recently, after the tide went out, a group of elderly men and women kept digging at the seaside of a Qingdao seawater bathing beach with shovels. Reporters found out that what the elderly were looking for is called “sea cicada”. Experts say the “sea cicada” belongs to a kind of slipper lobster and is a specialty of the coastal waters of Qingdao and Rizhao. In recent years, with stronger marine protection efforts, it has also been found sporadically at seawater bathing beaches.

Ugly as it looks, after being pan-fried, the sea cicada is incredibly crisp and exceptionally fresh, and is rich in minerals such as calcium, phosphorus and potassium; this delicacy cannot be found in ordinary restaurants. Because its output is very small and its meat is relatively savoury, it is extremely precious.

According to expert identification, the scientific name of the “sea cicada” is indeed “Blepharipoda liberata”. In Shandong, the first place it was discovered was Yantai, then Rizhao, and only recently was it found in the waters off Qingdao.

Experts say that this Blepharipoda liberata actually has a relatively narrow survival range and has important ecological significance for the beaches it inhabits; it is a precious marine organism between a shrimp and a crab.

“It is generally found in fine sand in the low-tide zone, where it survives somewhat better. It plays a role in loosening and cleaning the fine sand of the low-tide zone. Because of its relatively good nutritional value, villagers dig for it in large quantities. Many consecutive years of this carpet-like digging have caused the resource quantity of Blepharipoda liberata to decline greatly, by more than 70% in Rizhao.” said Zhou Liqing, a researcher at the Yellow Sea Fisheries Research Institute.

Blepharipoda liberata differs from ordinary prawns and swimming crabs in that it takes at least two years to mature, and those served on the table are all over 3 years old. Therefore, once the resource of Blepharipoda liberata is damaged, it is very difficult to restore!