''Melicertus kerathurus'', the striped prawn or caramote prawn is a species of

tiger prawn ''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. Taxonomy ''Penaeus monodon'' was first described by Johan Christian ...

from the family

Penaeidae 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, ...

which occurs in the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea which is an important species in commercial fisheries. It is the

type species In zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the species that contains the biological type specimen ...

for the genus ''

Melicertus ''Melicertus'' is a genus of "king" prawns, comprising eight species which were previously classified as members of the genus ''Penaeus'': *''Melicertus canaliculatus'' (Olivier, 1811) - witch prawn *''Melicertus hathor'' (Burkenroad, 1959) *'' ...

''.

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. 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.

Distribution

''Melicertus kerathurus'' is found in the warmer water of the eastern Atlantic from the south coast of

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

Angola , national_anthem = " Angola Avante"() , image_map = , map_caption = , capital = Luanda , religion = , religion_year = 2020 , religion_ref = , coordina ...

and throughout the entire Mediterranean Sea.

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. They breed in the warmer months in inshore estuarine waters and in the winter they appear to migrate to deeper water.

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 Benin ( , ; french: Bénin , ff, Benen), officially the Republic of Benin (french: République du Bénin), and formerly Dahomey, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, Burkina Faso to the north ...

and

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

.The total catch landed in 2015 was 7,410 tonnes. Greece and Tunisia have been the main countries landing ''M. kerathurus'' commercially in recent years, Langostinos-rafax

Threats

The

Lessepsian migration The Lessepsian migration (also called Erythrean invasion) is the migration of marine species across the Suez Canal, usually from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea, and more rarely in the opposite direction. When the canal was completed in 18 ...

of Erythrian penaeid prawns through the

Suez Canal The Suez Canal ( arz, قَنَاةُ ٱلسُّوَيْسِ, ') is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea through the Isthmus of Suez and dividing Africa and Asia. The long canal is a popular ...

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. ''M. monoceros'' is now the most important target species for commercial, inshore, fisheries in the

Gulf of Gabes A gulf is a large inlet from the ocean into the landmass, typically with a narrower opening than a bay, but that is not observable in all geographic areas so named. The term gulf was traditionally used for large highly-indented navigable bodie ...

, 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 ''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, us ...

'' 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''.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1133806 Penaeidae Edible crustaceans Crustaceans of the Atlantic Ocean Commercial crustaceans Crustaceans described in 1775 Taxa named by Peter Forsskål