Giant river prawn
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| Macrobrachium rosenbergii de Man, 1879 |
The giant river prawn (Macrobrachium rosenbergii), also known as the giant freshwater prawn or the Malaysian prawn, is a species of freshwater shrimp (not prawn) native to the Indo-Pacific and northern Australia. This species (as well as other Macrobrachium) is commercially important for its value as a food source.
While this species is considered a freshwater one, the larval stage of the animal depends on brackish water. Once the individual shrimp has grown beyond the planktonic stage and become a juvenile, it will live entirely in freshwater.
This species of shrimp can get quite large, attaining a length of nearly one foot and a weight of several ounces.
The shrimp can be successfully raised in outdoor ponds and is readily available for sale on the Internet. Amateur cultivation of this species is particularly popular in the mid-western region of the United States.
