Metapenaeus monoceros
{{Short description|Species of crustacean}}
{{Speciesbox
| image = Metapenaeus monoceros (MNHN-IU-2010-2578).jpeg
| genus = Metapenaeus
| species = monoceros
| authority = (Fabricius, 1798)
| synonyms =
- Metapenaeus cognatus Nobili, 1904
- Metapenaeus deschampsi Nobili, 1903
- Penaeopsis monoceros (Fabricius, 1798)
- Penaeopsis spinulicauda Stebbing, 1914
- Penaeus monoceros Fabricius, 1798
| synonyms_ref = {{cite WoRMS |author=Charles Fransen, Sammy De Grave & Michael Türkay |year=2013 |title=Metapenaeus monoceros (Fabricius, 1798) |id=107107 |accessdate=October 13, 2013}}{{cite book |author=L. B. Holthuis |year=1980 |title=Shrimps and Prawns of the World: an Annotated Catalogue of Species of Interest to Fisheries |series=FAO Fisheries Synopsis |volume=125 |issue=1 |publisher=Food and Agriculture Organization |isbn=92-5-100896-5 |pages=26–27 |chapter=Metapenaeus monoceros (Fabricius, 1798) |chapter-url=ftp://ftp.fao.org/docrep/fao/009/ac477e/ac477e06.pdf |author-link=Lipke Holthuis }}
}}
Metapenaeus monoceros is a species of prawn in the family Penaeidae. It is also known as speckled shrimp, brown shrimp and pink shrimp in English, {{lang|fr|crevette mouchetée}} in French, {{lang|es|camarón moteado}} in Spanish, koraney chingri or honye chingri in India, ginger prawn in South Africa and choodan chemmeen in Malayalam.
Distribution and ecology
Metapenaeus monoceros is native to the Indo-West Pacific from Durban to the Red Sea along the African coast and around India. Now it has also invaded into the eastern Mediterranean Sea through the Suez Canal,{{cite journal|author1=Gilberto Rodríguez |author2=Héctor Suárez |name-list-style=amp |year=2001 |title=Anthropogenic dispersal of decapod crustaceans in aquatic environments |journal=Interciencia |volume=26 |issue=7 |pages=282–288 |url=http://www.scielo.org.ve/scielo.php?pid=S0378-18442001000700003&script=sci_arttext |archive-url=https://archive.today/20121225060007/http://www.scielo.org.ve/scielo.php?pid=S0378-18442001000700003&script=sci_arttext |url-status=dead |archive-date=2012-12-25 }} eliminating population of the native species Melicertus kerathurus in those areas.{{cite book |author1=M. Otero |author2=E. Cebrian |author3=P. Francour |author4=B. Galil |author5=D. Savini |year=2013 |title=Monitoring Marine Invasive Species in Mediterranean Marine Protected Areas (MPAs): a Strategy and Practical Guide for Managers |location=Malaga, Spain |publisher=IUCN |url=http://www.iucn.org/dbtw-wpd/edocs/2013-008.pdf }}{{cite web|url=http://www.khalsan.com/foodstuff/shrimplibrary/metapenaeus_monoceros.htm|title=Metapenaeus monoceros|publisher=Al Khalsan General Trading LLC|access-date=12 October 2013|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20131014180801/http://www.khalsan.com/foodstuff/shrimplibrary/metapenaeus_monoceros.htm|archivedate=14 October 2013}}
Metapenaeus monoceros is found up to a depth of {{convert|170|m}} but commonly found between {{convert|10|m|abbr=on}} and {{convert|30|m|abbr=on}}. They prefer sandy or sandy mud bottoms. They live in brackish water or marine ecosystem.
Description
Adult M. monoceros are pale grey with dark brown spots giving them the name brown shrimp or speckled shrimp. Their body is covered with short hairs. They have red–orange antennae. They are medium-sized prawns with males growing up to {{convert|15|cm}} and females growing up to {{convert|20|cm|abbr=on}}. Males have a prominent curved spine on fifth pereiopod (walking leg). The maximum recorded weight is {{convert|170|g}}, but most individuals weigh less than {{convert|30|g|abbr=on}}.{{citation needed|date=November 2019}}
Reproduction
Metapenaeus monoceros is believed to be a continuous breeder with two major spawning seasons. These seasons were found to vary with time and location and environmental factors. In Tunisia, spawning seasons are May–June and October–November. In Egypt, May and July–October were found to be the spawning seasons. In Turkey spawning occurred between November and January. In India, December–April and August–September are the two main spawning seasons. Similarly, minimum size at sexual maturity also varied across range and possibly with sampling seasons, with males reaching sexual maturity from {{convert|7.5|cm|abbr=on}} in Turkey, {{convert|7.6|cm|abbr=on}} in Tunisia, and {{convert|9.5|cm|abbr=on}} in India and Egypt. Size at maturity for females were {{convert|11.4|cm|abbr=on}} in India, {{convert|11.6|cm|abbr=on}} in Turkey and {{convert|12.2|cm|abbr=on}} in Tunisia.{{cite journal |author=G. Nandakumar |year=2001 |title=Reproductive biology of the speckled shrimp Metapenaeus monoceros (Fabricius) |journal=Indian Journal of Fisheries |volume=48 |issue=1 |pages=l–8 |url=http://epubs.icar.org.in/ejournal/index.php/IJF/article/view/8470}}
Commercial importance
Metapenaeus monoceros is of commercial importance throughout its range. It is important in African coastal countries, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Turkey, Israel and Egypt.