Name

Penaeus

prawn

Framing

Phylum: Arthropoda

Subphylum: Crustacea

Class: Malacostraca

Superorder: Eucarida

Order: Decapoda

Suborder: Dendrobranchiata

Family: Penaeidae

Genus: Penaeus

Habitat

Marine, benthic (soft bottoms)

Feeding

Filter feeder larvae, microphages (filters of plankton and particles of organic matter); omnivorous adults, scavengers and detritivores

Distribution

Mainly tropical and subtropical seas. Abundant in the Mediterranean.

Conservation status

Some species of the genus (P. caniculatus, P. japonicus) are classified as "Vulnerable" (VU) by the IUCN as a consequence of the destruction of the mangroves where they reproduce naturally and overfishing. P. monodon, introduced for commercial farming in various regions, is an invasive species in the Gulf of Mexico, Brazil and Ecuador.

Additional information

Body elongated and laterally flattened. Well developed carapace covering cephalon and pereion, extended in front of the eyes by a rostrum and with a dorsal carina. The first three pairs of pereopods are pincer-shaped. Fifth pair of pleopods without exopodium. Telson without spines. The taxonomy of the genus is complex and subject to discussion.