The common prawn

common prawn

Scientific name	Palaemon serratus
Descriptor	Pennant
Year of description	1777
IUCN category (World)	NE
Family	Palaemonidae
Genus	Palaemon

Introduction

Palaemon serratus, commonly known as common prawn, is a salt water crustacea.

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Who is it?

Morphology

Average size

8 cm
Maximum size

11 cm
Pattern

vertical stripes

Average size

8 cm
Maximum size

11 cm
Pattern

vertical stripes

How to recognize the common prawn ?

The common prawn measures between 8 and 11 cm. this crustacea is bicolore with a predominantly noir and gris body. The also has noir vertical stripes.

Behaviour & Life cycle

Sociability

living in small groups
territorial

No
Venomous

No
Way of living

diurnal

Molting in crustaceans

Like all crustaceans, The common prawn molts whenever it becomes cramped in its shell. Before the hardening of its new body, it is more vulnerable and spends a good part of its time hidden. This mechanism, very complex, allows the periodic renewal of the exoskeleton and part of the internal skeleton. It is also during the moult that the females become fertile.

The common prawn is a crustacea living in small groups naturally found on the bottom. This species is omnivorous .

Although the common prawn is non-territorial, it is sometimes aggressive towards other species.

Reproduction

Reproduction

ovipare

The common prawn is a crustacea ovipare.

Harmless species

This species does not represent any particular threats to humans when encountered in its natural environment.

Where to find it?

Origin

North Sea Mediterranean Sea Temperate Eastern Atlantic Ocean Eastern Cold Atlantic Ocean

Conservation status of populations (IUCN)

World : NE

Where to see this species?

What is its habitat?

Natural environment characteristics

Temperature

9 - 19 °C
Depth

0 - 40 m
Flow

Medium

Biotope presentation

The common prawn is most often found at a depth between 0m and 40m. However, it is not impossible to find this species at other depths.

This species lives in decaying vegetation (branches, leaves) in low current areas.

Species of the same biotope

To go further

Species of the same family

To read on the web

Sources & Contributions

Participation & Validation

The Fishipedia team and specialist contributors are committed to providing high-quality content. However, although the information comes from scientific sources or testimonials from specialists, the cards may contain inaccuracies.

Adrien Falzon

Translation

Translation done with the valuable contribution of our translators, who make this information available to a wider audience. We sincerely thank them for their commitment.