Penaeus monodon

Penaeus monodon, commonly known as the giant tiger prawn or Asian tiger shrimp (and also known by other common names), is a marine crustacean that is widely reared for food. Penaeus monodon was first described by Johan Christian Fabricius in 1798. That name was overlooked for a long time, until 1949 when Lipke Holthuis clarified to which species it referred. Holthuis also showed that P. monodon had to be the type species of the genus Penaeus. Females can reach about 33 cm (13 in) long, but are typically 25–30 cm (10–12 in) long and weigh 200–320 g (7–11 oz); males are slightly smaller at 20–25 cm (8–10 in) long and weighing 100–170 g (3.5–6.0 oz). The carapace and abdomen are transversely banded with alternative red and white. The antennae are grayish brown. Brown pereiopods and pleopods are present with fringing setae in red. Its natural distribution is the Indo-Pacific, ranging from the eastern coast of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, as far as Southeast Asia, the Pacific Ocean, and northern Australia. It is an invasive species in the northern waters of the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean off the southern US. First occurrence of Asian tiger shrimp in the U.S. was in November of 1988. Close to 300 shrimp were captured off the South Eastern shore after an accidental release from an aquaculture facility. This species can now be caught in waters from Texas to North Carolina. Although the Giant Tiger prawn has been an invasive species for many years, they have yet to grow large established populations. However, escapes in other parts of the world have lead to established Black tiger shrimp populations. Areas such as West Africa, Brazil, and the Caribbean have established populations of P. monodon. Giant tiger prawn are suited to inhabit a multitude of places. They mainly occur in Southeastern Asia, but are widely found. Juvenile P. monodonare generally found in sandy estuaries and mangroves. Once into adulthood the prawn move into deeper waters (0- 110 meters) and live on muddy or rocky bottoms. The black tiger prawn has shown to be nocturnal in the wild. They burrow into substrate during the day then come out at night to search for food and feed. P. monodon typically feed on detritus, polychaete worms, and small crustaceans. They also commence mating at night and can produce around 800,000 eggs. Penaeus monodon is the second-most widely cultured prawn species in the world, after only whiteleg shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei. In 2009, 770,000 tonnes were produced, with a total value of US$3,650,000,000. P. monodon makes up nearly fifty percent of cultured shrimp alone.