Macrobrachium rosenbergii

Macrobrachium rosenbergii
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Clade: Pancrustacea
Class: Malacostraca
Order: Decapoda
Suborder: Pleocyemata
Infraorder: Caridea
Family: Palaemonidae
Genus: Macrobrachium
Species:
M. rosenbergii
Binomial name
Macrobrachium rosenbergii
De Man, 1879
Synonyms
  • Palaemon rosenbergii De Man, 1879
  • Palaemon whitei Sharp, 1893
  • Palaemon d'acqueti Sunier, 1925
  • Macrobrachium dacqueti (Sunier, 1925)
  • Macrobrachium rosenbergii schenkeli Johnson, 1973

Macrobrachium rosenbergii is a commercially important species of palaemonid freshwater prawn. It is native throughout the tropical and subtropical areas of the Indo-Pacific region, from India to Southeast Asia and Northern Australia. While M. rosenbergii is considered a freshwater species, the larval stage of the animal depends on brackish water. Once the individual shrimp has grown beyond the planktonic stage and becomes a juvenile, it lives entirely in fresh water.

In English, it is commonly known as the giant river prawn, giant freshwater prawn, Malaysian prawn, freshwater scampi (India), or cherabin (Australia). Locally, it is known as golda chingri (Bengali: গলদা চিংড়ি) in Bangladesh and India, udang galah in Indonesia and Malaysia, uwáng or uláng in the Philippines, kung maenam (กุ้งแม่น้ำ) or kung kam kram (กุ้งก้ามกราม) in Thailand, and Thailand prawn in Southern China and Taiwan (Chinese: Tàiguó xiā 泰國蝦).

It is one of the biggest freshwater prawns in the world, and is widely cultivated in several countries for food. Due to accidental releases, the giant freshwater prawn has also been introduced to parts of Africa, China, Japan, New Zealand, the Americas, and the Caribbean.

Description

M. rosenbergii can grow to a length over 30 cm (12 in), with total lengths of 34 cm (13 in) for males and 26 cm (10 in) for females. Females can be distinguished from males by their wider abdomens and smaller second pereiopods (walking legs), which in this species bear the major chelae (large pincers). The genital openings are found on the body segments containing the fifth pereiopods in males and the third pereiopods in females.

They are predominantly brownish in colour, but can vary. Smaller individuals may be greenish and display faint vertical stripes. The rostrum is very prominent and contains 11 to 14 dorsal teeth and 8 to 11 ventral teeth. The first pair of walking legs is elongated and very thin, ending in delicate claws (chelipeds), which are used as feeding appendages. The second pair of walking legs is much larger and more powerful, especially in males. The movable claws of the second pair of walking legs are distinctively covered in dense bristles (setae) that give them a velvety appearance. The colour of the claws in males varies according to their social dominance.

Morphotypes

Three different male morphotypes, which correspond to their social dominance, are widely recognized. The first stage is called "small male" (SM); this smallest stage has short, nearly translucent claws. If conditions allow, small males grow and metamorphose into "orange claws" (OC), which have large orange claws on their second chelipeds, which may have a length of 0.8 to 1.4 times their body size. OC males later may transform into the third and final stage, the "blue claw" (BC) males. These have blue claws, and their second chelipeds may become twice as long as their bodies. Senescent blue claw individuals are sometimes recognized as "old blue claws" (OBC), characterized by a smaller abdominal length compared to the carapace and major cheliped lengths.

Males of M. rosenbergii have a strict hierarchy; the territorial BC males dominate the OCs, which in turn dominate the SMs. The presence of BC males inhibits the growth of SMs and delays the metamorphosis of OCs into BCs; an OC keeps growing until it is larger than the largest BC male in its locale before abruptly transforming into the BC phase. All three male stages are sexually active, and females that have undergone their premating moult cooperate with any male to reproduce. BC males protect the females until their shells have hardened; OCs and SMs show no such behaviour.

Life cycle

Individual with eggs

In mating, the male deposits spermatophores on the underside of the female's thorax, between the walking legs. The female then extrudes eggs, which pass through the spermatophores. The female carries the fertilised eggs with her until they hatch; the time may vary, but is generally less than 3 weeks. Females lay 10,000–50,000 eggs up to five times per year.

From these eggs hatch zoeae, the first larval stage of crustaceans. They go through several larval stages in brackish water before metamorphosing into post-larvae, at which stage they are 0.28–0.39 in (7.1–9.9 mm) long and resemble adults. This metamorphosis usually takes place about 32 to 35 days after hatching. These post-larvae then migrate back into fresh water.

The giant freshwater prawn lives up to 3 years of age.

Relation to humans

M. rosenbergii is widely eaten in Southeast Asian countries, its native range. They are also commonly used in indoor shrimping venues. The species is aquacultured throughout the tropics.

In research

Professor Amir Sagi and his research group at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev have studied the IAG physiological sexual switch in decapods and their associated gene expression. their research has also examined genetic functions related to crustacean investigating reproduction as well as genome editing in prawns using application of CRISPR.

The research group has also developed monosex biotechnologies, including the use of temporal RNA interference (RNAi) to produce all male crustacean populations. Monosex crustacean aquaculture technologies have been applied in countries including Vietnam, Thailand, China, Malaysia, Israel. Sagi is also a co-founder of Enzootic Ltd. a biotechnology focused on all-female crustacean culture.

Research has investigated the potential use of prawns as biocontrol agents for invasive and pest species. The Sagi lab development of monosex prawn that have been studied for use in biological control applications in various parts of the world. The Sagi laboratory has also developed monosex prawn technologies that have been studied for use in biological control applications in various parts of the world.

References

  1. ↑ De Grave, S.; Shy, J.; Wowor, D.; Page, T. (2013). "Macrobrachium rosenbergii". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2013 e.T197873A2503520. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2013-1.RLTS.T197873A2503520.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  2. ↑ "Macrobrachium rosenbergii (De Man, 1879)". DecaNet. World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 15 February 2026.
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  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Forrest Wynne (May 2000). "Grow-out culture of freshwater prawns in Kentucky". Archived from the original on 21 August 2008. Retrieved 4 July 2005.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Macrobrachium rosenbergii (giant freshwater prawn)". CABI. Archived from the original on 23 December 2016. Retrieved 23 December 2016.
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  7. ↑ "(In Chinese) 大陸南方養蝦發展動態概述". www.miobuffer.com.tw. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  8. ↑ T. Y. Chan (1998). "Shrimps and Prawns". In Kent E. Carpenter; Volker H. Niem (eds.). The Living Marine Resources of the Western Central Pacific. Volume 2: Cephalopods, Crustaceans, Holothurians and Sharks (PDF). FAO Species Identification Guide for Fishery Purposes. Food and Agriculture Organization. ISBN 92-5-104051-6.
  9. 1 2 "Macrobrachium rosenbergii (De Man, 1879) Giant river prawn". SeaLifeBase. Retrieved 15 February 2026.
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  11. 1 2 "Morphological Diversity of Different Male Morphotypes of Giant Freshwater Prawn Macrobrachium rosenbergii (De Man, 1879)". aquaculture journal. 3. 16 May 2023. doi:10.3390/aquacj3020012.
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  13. ↑ Jennings, Ralph (1 October 2012). "In urban Taiwan, indoor shrimp fishing is booming". Los Angeles Times.
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  16. ↑ "Fisheries and Aquaculture - Global Production". Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Retrieved 6 May 2024.
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  18. 1 2 3 Kenji Toyota, 2024. Crustacean endocrinology: Sexual differentiation and potential application for aquaculture. General and Comparative Endocrinology, Vol. 356, 15 September 2024, 114578.
  19. ↑ "Israeli Innovation Awarded 1st place in the Aquaculture Innovation Award". IsraelAgri. 9 June 2022.
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  21. ↑ ZHOU Huan et al., 2024. Protein Interaction of IAG in Cherax Quadricarinatus Based on Nuclear Systaem Yeast Two-Hybrid Technology. Acta Hydrobiologica Sinica, 48, pp. 1095-1101 (references 2 & 14).
  22. 1 2 Miao M. CRISPR/Cas9-Mediated Gene Mutation of EcIAG Leads to Sex Reversal in the Male Ridgetail White Prawn Exopalaemon Carinicauda. Front Endocrinol (Lousanne), 21 November 2023 (references: 1, 17, 20, 22, 24 & 52).
  23. ↑ Grossman, Ariel (November 2023). "New Project Enhances Crustacean Genes For Sustainable Seafood". No Camels - Israeli Innovation News, November 01, 2023.
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  25. ↑ "Alliance to Establish Crustacean Gene Editing Technology". Hatchery Feed & Management, Alliance to Establish Crustacean Gene Editing Technology, November 1, 2023.
  26. ↑ Tao Wang et al., Molecular Mechanisms of Sex Determination and Differentiation in Decapod Crustaceans for Potential Aquaculture Applications: An overview. Reviews in Aquaculture, 23 May 2024 (references: 4, 5, 11, 26, 50, 62, 64, 180, 231, 238 & also in the recomanded articles at the 1st page.).
  27. ↑ "It's a Girl! Gene Silencing Technology Alters Sex of Prawns - Peer-Reviewed Publication - Society for Experimental Biology". Eurek Alert, 30-Jun-2014.
  28. ↑ "Transformed Male Prawns Could Increase World Food Supply". Voice of America, by YouTube, 26 October 2015. 26 October 2015.
  29. ↑ Phansawat, P., Keetanon, A., Rairat, T., Pichitkul, P., Poldetch, P., & Chuchird, N., 2022. Benefits of Male Monosex Culture of Giant Freshwater Prawn (Macrobrachium rosenbergii): Improving Growth Performance, Production Yield, and Profitability. Journal of Fisheries and Environment, 46, pp.157-168.
  30. ↑ "Biotechnology to boost Malaysian freshwater prawn seed production". Hatchery Feed Management, July 22, 2022.
  31. 1 2 Vorsanger, Sarah. "Israeli Scientists Use Prawns to Fight Tropical Disease". Zavit - Science Environment in Israel, October 27, 2019.
  32. ↑ "Generating Single-Sex Prawn Populations". World Fishing & Aquaculture, 02/07/2014.
  33. ↑ "Enzootic Team". Enzootic - All-female Shrimp Aquaculture, 26.3.2023.
  34. ↑ Yingying Wang et al., Efficacy of Giant River Prawn Macrobrachium rosenbergii in Controlling the Invasive Snail Pomacea canaliculata: Implications for Ecological Farming. Diversity, 15, September 2023, pp. 1-12 (references: 42, 57 and also 2 recomanded articles).
  35. ↑ Hoover et al., 2019. Modelled effects of prawn aquaculture on poverty alleviation and schistosomiasis control. Nature Sustainability 2: 611-620.