''Litopenaeus setiferus'' (also accepted: ''Penaeus setiferus'', and known by various

common name In biology, a common name of a taxon or organism (also known as a vernacular name, English name, colloquial name, country name, popular name, or farmer's name) is a name that is based on the normal language of everyday life; and is often contrast ...

s including Atlantic white shrimp, '' white shrimp'', ''gray shrimp'', ''lake shrimp'', ''green shrimp'', ''green-tailed shrimp'', ''blue-tailed shrimp'', ''rainbow shrimp'', ''Daytona shrimp'', ''Mayport Shrimp'', ''common shrimp'', ''southern shrimp'', and, in Mexico, ') 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 The shrimp fishery is a major global industry, with more than 3.4 million tons caught per year, chiefly in Asia. Rates of bycatch are unusually high for shrimp fishing, with the capture of sea turtles being especially contentious. A shrimper is ...

in the United States.

Distribution

The range of ''L. setiferus'' extends from Fire Island,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

to Ciudad Campeche, Mexico. It requires warm water, and is unable to survive below , with appreciable growth only occurring at temperatures over .

Description

''Litopenaeus setiferus'' may reach a total length (excluding antennae) of , with females being larger than males. The antennae may be up to three times the length of the body, which is bluish white with a tinge of pink on the sides, and black spots. The

pleopod The decapod ( crustaceans such as a crab, lobster, shrimp or prawn) is made up of 20 body segments grouped into two main body parts: the cephalothorax and the pleon (abdomen). Each segment may possess one pair of appendages, although in various ...

s are often redder, and the uropods and telson are green. The rostrum is long and thin, with 5–11 teeth on the upper edge and 2 on the lower edge, and continues along the

carapace A carapace is a Dorsum (biology), dorsal (upper) section of the exoskeleton or shell in a number of animal groups, including arthropods, such as crustaceans and arachnids, as well as vertebrates, such as turtles and tortoises. In turtles and tor ...

as a dorsal carina (ridge). Deep grooves alongside the carine separate the related species ''

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, u ...

'' ("brown shrimp") and ''

Farfantepenaeus duorarum ''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. Distribution ...

'' ("pink shrimp") from ''L. setiferus''.

Ecology

''Litopenaeus setiferus'' lives in estuaries and from the littoral zone to water with a depth of in the Atlantic, or up to in the Gulf of Mexico. ''Litopenaeus setiferus'' is an

omnivore An omnivore () is an animal that has the ability to eat and survive on both plant and animal matter. Obtaining energy and nutrients from plant and animal matter, omnivores digest carbohydrates, protein, fat, and fiber, and metabolize the nutr ...

; in Lake Pontchartrain, it feeds chiefly on the seagrass '' Vallisneria americana'' and

detritus In biology, detritus () is dead particulate organic material, as distinguished from dissolved organic material. Detritus typically includes the bodies or fragments of bodies of dead organisms, and fecal material. Detritus typically hosts commun ...

. Many aquatic animals feed on ''L. setiferus'', including fish such as red drum (''Sciaenops ocellatus'') and turtles such as the loggerhead sea turtle (''Caretta caretta'').

Life cycle

Spawning in ''L. setiferus'' occurs while the water is warm, between the increase in water temperatures in the spring and the sudden decline in temperature in the fall. It generally occurs within of the shoreline, in water less than deep in the Atlantic, or deep in the Gulf of Mexico. Males attach a spermatophore to the females, which is then used to

fertilize Fertilisation or fertilization (see spelling differences), also known as generative fertilisation, syngamy and impregnation, is the fusion of gametes to give rise to a new individual organism or offspring and initiate its development. Proce ...

the eggs as they are released. Each female releases 500,000–1,000,000 purplish eggs, each across, which sink to the bottom of the water column. After 10–12 hours, the eggs hatch into nauplius larvae, which are long, planktonic and unable to feed. They molt five times to reach the

protozoa Protozoa (singular: protozoan or protozoon; alternative plural: protozoans) are a group of single-celled eukaryotes, either free-living or parasitic, that feed on organic matter such as other microorganisms or organic tissues and debris. Histo ...

stage, long. These grow to long over two molts, before passing through three molts as a mysis larva. About 15–20 days after hatching, the animals reaches the postlarva stage; in the second postlarval stage, at a length of , they begin to enter estuaries and drop down to the substrate. Spring rains flush the shrimp out into the ocean. In the Eastern United States, shrimp then migrate south towards warmer waters.

Fishery

Subsistence fishing Artisanal fishing (or traditional/subsistence fishing) consists of various small-scale, low-technology, low-capital, fishing practices undertaken by individual fisherman, fishing households (as opposed to commercial fishing). Many of these househ ...

for prawns was carried out by Native Americans along the Atlantic coast. This knowledge was passed on to European settlers, and ''Litopenaeus setiferus'' became the subject of the earliest

in the United States, with commercial fishery for ''L. setiferus'' starting as early as 1709. The harvesting for ''L. setiferus'' began in the 1950s and since that time is collected monthly throughout Gulf of Mexico.

Notes

Other references

White shrimp
''NOAA FishWatch''. Retrieved 4 November 2012. {{Taxonbar, from=Q5221424 Penaeidae Edible crustaceans Commercial crustaceans Crustaceans of the Atlantic Ocean Crustaceans described in 1767 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus