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Penaeus esculentus

Penaeus esculentus
Penaeus esculentus-2009.jpg
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Crustacea
Class: Malacostraca
Order: Decapoda
Suborder: Dendrobranchiata
Family: Penaeidae
Genus: Penaeus
Species: P. esculentus
Binomial name
Penaeus esculentus
Haswell, 1879 

Penaeus esculentus (the brown tiger prawn, tiger prawn or common tiger prawn) is a species of prawn which is widely fished for consumption around Australia.

Juvenile P. esculentus live in seagrass beds, and reach sexual maturity at a carapace length of around 32 millimetres (1.3 in). Adults grow up to 155 millimetres (6.1 in) long, and resemble Penaeus monodon, albeit smaller and browner. They live offshore at depths of up to 200 metres (660 ft).

P. esculentus appears to be endemic to Australian waters, being found in warm waters from central New South Wales (near Sydney) to Shark Bay, Western Australia, chiefly at depths of 16–22 metres (52–72 ft). There is little population structure in the species, with only slight differentiation between regions east and west of the land bridge between Australia and New Guinea.

Around 500 tonnes (490 long tons; 550 short tons) of brown tiger prawns are caught each year. Fisheries in Torres Strait are worth around A$24 million per year. It is closely related to Penaeus monodon, with which it can hybridise. It has the potential to be used in aquaculture (shrimp farming) since, although it grows less rapidly than P. monodon, it commands higher prices.


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