How do lobsters mate?
Lobsters usually mate when the female has just molted. Mating occurs within 24 hours of molting and often within 30 minutes (Talbot and Helluy, 1995). During mating the male deposits a spermatophore, or packet of sperm) into the seminal receptacle of the female. The female must fertilize and extrude her eggs before molting again, or else the sperm is lost when she molts.