Macrobrachium carcinus

Macrobrachium carcinus is a species of freshwater shrimp known as the big claw river shrimp. It is native to streams, rivers and creeks from Florida to southern Brazil.[1][3] It is the largest known species of Neotropical freshwater prawn, growing up to 30 centimetres (12 in) long and weighing as much as 850 grams (30 oz),[4] although even larger specimens have been reported.[5] It is an important species for commercial fishing in the Sao Francisco area, where it is known by the local name of pitu.[6] M. carcinus is omnivorous, with a diet consisting of molluscs, small fish, algae, leaf litter and insects.[7]

Macrobrachium carcinus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Arthropoda
Subphylum:
Crustacea
Class:
Malacostraca
Order:
Decapoda
Infraorder:
Caridea
Family:
Palaemonidae
Genus:
Macrobrachium
Species:
M. carcinus
Binomial name
Macrobrachium carcinus
Synonyms[2]
  • Cancer (Astacus) jamaicensis Herbst, 1792
  • Cancer carcinus Linnaeus, 1758
  • Palaemon aztecus de Saussure, 1857
  • Palaemon brachydactylus Wiegmann, 1836
  • Palaemon carcinus (Linnaeus, 1758)
  • Palaemon laminatus von Martens, 1869
  • Palaemon montezumae de Saussure, 1857
  • Palaemon ornatus Torralbas, 1917
  • Palemon brevicarpus De Haan, 1849
  • Palemon punctatus Randall, 1840
  • Periclimenes portoricensis Schmitt, 1933

M. carcinus has a tan or yellow body with dark brown stripes. Its chelae are unusually long and thin, to facilitate foraging for food in small crevices,[7] and may be blue or green in colour.[8]

References
  1. Cumberlidge, N. & Smith, K. (2013). "Macrobrachium carcinus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2013. Retrieved 18 February 2015.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  2. Charles Fransen (2012). "Macrobrachium carcinus (Linnaeus, 1758)". WoRMS. World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 1 June 2012.
  3. "Macrobrachium carcinus Bigclaw River Shrimp". Encyclopedia of Life. Retrieved 1 June 2012.
  4. Methil Narayanan Kutty & Wagner C. Valenti (2009). "Culture of other freshwater prawn species". In Michael Bernard New; Wagner Cotroni Valenti; James H. Tidwell; Louis R. D'Abramo & Methil Narayanan Kutty (eds.). Freshwater Prawns: Biology and Farming. John Wiley & Sons. pp. 502–523. ISBN 978-1-4051-4861-0.
  5. Field & Stream. June 1998. p. 78. ISSN 8755-8599. Retrieved 1 June 2012.
  6. Joachim Carolsfeld (1 November 2003). Migratory Fishes of South America: Biology, Fisheries and Conservation Status. IDRC. p. 218. ISBN 978-0-9683958-2-0. Retrieved 1 June 2012.
  7. Douglas P. Reagan (1 September 1996). The Food Web of a Tropical Rain Forest. University of Chicago Press. p. 452. ISBN 978-0-226-70599-6. Retrieved 1 June 2012.
  8. Jerry G. Walls (1 April 2009). Crawfishes of Louisiana. LSU Press. p. 220. ISBN 978-0-8071-3409-2. Retrieved 1 June 2012.


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