Melicertus kerathurus

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Melicertus kerathurus
FMIB 46462 Penaeus caramote from the Mediterranean.jpeg
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Crustacea
Class: Malacostraca
Order: Decapoda
Family: Penaeidae
Genus: Melicertus
Species:
M. kerathurus
Binomial name
Melicertus kerathurus
(Forskål, 1775)
Synonyms   [1]
  • Alpheus caramoteRisso, 1816
  • Alpheus punctulatusRisso, 1822
  • Alpheus trisulcatusLeach, 1814 [in Leach, 1813-1814]
  • Cancer kerathurus Forskål, 1775
  • Penaeus kerathurus(Forskål, 1775)
  • Melicertus tigrinusRafinesque, 1814
  • Palaemon sulcatusOlivier, 1811
  • Penaeus trisulcatusLeach, 1815 (synonym)
  • Peneus cristatusRisso, 1827
  • Peneus marsRisso, 1816

Melicertus kerathurus, the striped prawn or caramote prawn is a species of tiger prawn from the family Penaeidae which occurs in the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea which is an important species in commercial fisheries. It is the type species for the genus Melicertus .

Contents

Description

Melicertus kerathurus is a large shrimp, which has a body with an amber tint and a laterally compressed shell. There are 5 pairs of thin legs while the blue tail is often lined with red. [2] The average length of males is 110 to 140 mm while females are 130 to 170 mm, but the females can grow up to 225mm. [3]

Distribution

Melicertus kerathurus is found in the warmer water of the eastern Atlantic from the south coast of England to Angola and throughout the entire Mediterranean Sea. [1] [3]

Biology

Melicertus kerathurus occurs coastal marine or brackish waters with muddy-sand or sand substrates. It is normally recorded at a depths between 0.5m and 90m however is most common between 5m and 50m, although it has been taken at depths of up to 640m in the Strait of Sicily. [4] They breed in the warmer months in inshore estuarine waters and in the winter they appear to migrate to deeper water. [4] [5]

Fisheries

Melicertus kerathurus is exploited in an inshore fishery along all Mediterranean coasts, the prawn's large size and excellent taste make it a desirable quarry species. In West Africa the species is of minor importance and there are small fisheries in Benin and Nigeria.The total catch landed in 2015 was 7,410 tonnes. [3] Greece and Tunisia have been the main countries landing M. kerathurus commercially in recent years, [6]

Langostinos-rafax Langostinos-rafax.JPG
Langostinos-rafax

Threats

The Lessepsian migration of Erythrian penaeid prawns through the Suez Canal into the Mediterranean may lead to increased competition for Melicertus kerathurus and the invasive Metapenaeus monoceros has already been implicated as a causal factor in the local extinction of M. kerathensis in the south-eastern Mediterranean. [7] M. monoceros is now the most important target species for commercial, inshore, fisheries in the Gulf of Gabes, Tunisia, and off Egyptian Mediterranean coasts. In coastal lagoons the invasive prawns Penaeus pulchricaudatus and Penaeus semisulcatus make up a major portion of the prawn catch. In addition the northern brown shrimp Farfantepenaeus aztecus has now been found in the Mediterranean and may be another source of competition for M. kerathensis, as well as being a potential vector for the bopyrid parasite Epipenaeon ingens ingens . [8]

Related Research Articles

Dendrobranchiata Suborder of prawns

Dendrobranchiata is a suborder of decapods, commonly known as prawns. There are 540 extant species in seven families, and a fossil record extending back to the Devonian. They differ from related animals, such as Caridea and Stenopodidea, by the branching form of the gills and by the fact that they do not brood their eggs, but release them directly into the water. They may reach a length of over 330 millimetres (13 in) and a mass of 450 grams (1.0 lb), and are widely fished and farmed for human consumption.

Whiteleg shrimp species of crustacean

Whiteleg shrimp, also known as Pacific white shrimp or King prawn, is a variety of prawn of the eastern Pacific Ocean commonly caught or farmed for food.

<i>Litopenaeus setiferus</i> Species of crustacean

Litopenaeus setiferus is a species of prawn found along the Atlantic coast of North America and in the Gulf of Mexico. It was the subject of the earliest shrimp fishery in the United States.

Indian prawn Species of crustacean

The Indian prawn, is one of the major commercial prawn species of the world. It is found in the Indo-West Pacific from eastern and south-eastern Africa, through India, Malaysia and Indonesia to southern China and northern Australia. Adult shrimp grow to a length of about 22 cm (9 in) and live on the seabed to depths of about 90 m (300 ft). The early developmental stages take place in the sea before the larvae move into estuaries. They return to the sea as sub-adults.

Penaeidae Family of crustaceans

Penaeidae is a family of marine crustaceans in the suborder Dendrobranchiata, which are often referred to as penaeid shrimp or penaeid prawns. The Penaeidae contain many species of economic importance, such as the tiger prawn, whiteleg shrimp, Atlantic white shrimp, and Indian prawn. Many prawns are the subject of commercial fishery, and farming, both in marine settings, and in freshwater farms. Lateral line–like sense organs on the antennae have been reported in some species of Penaeidae. At 210 metres per second (760 km/h), the myelinated giant interneurons of pelagic penaeid shrimp have the world record for impulse conduction speed in any animal.

<i>Penaeus</i> Genus of crustaceans

Penaeus is a genus of prawns, including the giant tiger prawn, the most important species of farmed crustacean worldwide. The genus has been reorganised following a proposition of Pérez Farfante and Kensley based on morphological differences, in particular the genital characteristics of these animals, although this revision has not been universally accepted. Following the revision, many species formerly in the genus Penaeus have been reassigned to new genera in the family Penaeidae: Farfantepenaeus, Fenneropenaeus, Litopenaeus and Marsupenaeus. The following table gives an overview:

<i>Penaeus monodon</i> Species of crustacean

Penaeus monodon, commonly known as the giant tiger prawn,Asian tiger shrimp, black tiger shrimp, and other names, is a marine crustacean that is widely reared for food.

More than one species shares the common name "brown shrimp":

Harold Loesch

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Farfantepenaeus notialis is a species of marine crustacean in the family Penaeidae.

<i>Farfantepenaeus</i> Genus of crustaceans

Farfantepenaeus is a genus of prawns in the family Penaeidae. Its eight species were formerly included in the genus Penaeus. It was first published as a genus name in 1972 by Rudolf N. Burukovsky, but without the necessary designation of a type species. That situation was corrected by the same author in 1997. The name Farfantepenaeus commemorates the Cuban carcinologist Isabel Pérez Farfante.

<i>Penaeus esculentus</i> Species of fish

Penaeus esculentus is a species of prawn which is widely fished for consumption around Australia.

<i>Metapenaeus ensis</i> Species of crustacean

Metapenaeus ensis is a species of prawn.

<i>Marsupenaeus</i>

Marsupenaeus is a monotypic genus of prawn. It contains a single species, Marsupenaeus japonicus, known as the kuruma shrimp, kuruma prawn, or Japanese tiger prawn. It occurs naturally in bays and seas of the Indo-West Pacific, but has also reached the Mediterranean Sea as a Lessepsian migrant. It is one of the largest species of prawns, and is accordingly one of the most economically important species in the family.

<i>Trachysalambria curvirostris</i>

Trachysalambria curvirostris is a species of prawn that lives in shallow waters of the Indo-West Pacific. It is one of the most important species targeted by prawn fishery, with annual harvests of more than 300,000 t, mostly landed in China.

Shrimp Decapod crustaceans

Shrimp are decapod crustaceans with elongated bodies and a primarily swimming mode of locomotion – most commonly Caridea and Dendrobranchiata. More narrow definitions may be restricted to Caridea, to smaller species of either group or to only the marine species. Under a broader definition, shrimp may be synonymous with prawn, covering stalk-eyed swimming crustaceans with long narrow muscular tails (abdomens), long whiskers (antennae), and slender legs. Any small crustacean which resembles a shrimp tends to be called one. They swim forward by paddling with swimmerets on the underside of their abdomens, although their escape response is typically repeated flicks with the tail driving them backwards very quickly. Crabs and lobsters have strong walking legs, whereas shrimp have thin, fragile legs which they use primarily for perching.

<i>Farfantepenaeus aztecus</i> Species of shrimp

Farfantepenaeus aztecus is a species of marine penaeid shrimps found around the east coast of the US and Mexico. They are an important commercial species in the US. The FAO refers to them as the northern brown shrimp; other common names, used in the US, are brown shrimp, golden shrimp, red shrimp or redtail shrimp.

<i>Farfantepenaeus duorarum</i> Species of crustacean

Farfantepenaeus duorarum is a species of marine penaeid shrimp found around Bermuda, along the east coast of the United States and in the Gulf of Mexico. They are a significant commercial species in the United States and Cuba.

<i>Metapenaeus monoceros</i> Species of crustacean

Metapenaeus monoceros is a species of prawn in the family Penaeidae. It is also known as speckled shrimp, brown shrimp and pink shrimp in English, crevette mouchetée in French, camarón moteado in Spanish, koraney chingri or honye chingri in India, ginger prawn in South Africa and choodan chemmeen in Malayalam.

<i>Penaeus semisulcatus</i> Species of crustacean

Penaeus semisulcatus, the green tiger prawn or grooved tiger prawn, is a commercially important species of prawn in the genus Penaeus.

References

  1. 1 2 Charles Fransen & Sammy De Grave (2014). "Penaeus kerathurus (Forskål, 1775)". WoRMS. World Register of Marine Species . Retrieved 2 January 2016.
  2. "Caramote Prawn". Lorpex Fish. Retrieved 2 January 2017.
  3. 1 2 3 "Penaeus kerathurus (Forsskål, 1775)". Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 2 January 2017.
  4. 1 2 S. Vitale; L. Cannizaro; L. Lumare; S. Mazzola (2010). "Population Parameters of Melicertus kerathurus in South West Sicilian Shallow Waters (Mediterranean Sea) Using Length Frequenct Analysis" (PDF). Crustacea. 83 (8): 997–1007. doi:10.1163/001121610X510615.
  5. Kosmas Kevrekidis; Maria Thessalou-Legaki (2013). "Reproductive biology of the prawn Melicertus kerathurus (Decapoda: Penaeidae) in Thermaikos Gulf (N. Aegean Sea)(abstract)". Helgoland Marine Research. 67 (1): 17–31. doi: 10.1007/s10152-012-0301-8 .
  6. Kosmas Kevrekidis; Maria Thessalou-Legaki (2011). "Population dynamics of Melicertus kerathurus (Decapoda: Penaeidae) in Thermaikos Gulf (N. Aegean Sea) )abstract)". Fisheries Research. 107: 47–58. doi:10.1016/j.fishres.2010.10.006.
  7. M. Otero; E. Cebrian; P. Francour; B. Galil & D. Savini (2013). Monitoring Marine Invasive Species in Mediterranean Marine Protected Areas (MPAs): a Strategy and Practical Guide for Managers (PDF). Malaga, Spain: IUCN.
  8. Danilo Scannella; Fabio Falsone; Michele Luca Geraci; Carlo Froglia; Fabio Fiorentino; Giovan Battista Giusto; Bruno Zava; Gianni Insacco; Francesco Colloca (2017). "First report of Northern brown shrimp Penaeus aztecus Ives, 1891 in Strait of Sicily (in press)" (PDF). BioInvasions Records. 6. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-01-03. Retrieved 2017-01-02.