Prawn Name and History

All the freshwater prawns that have been cultured so far belong to the genus Macrobrachium, Bate 1868, the largest genus of the family Palaemonidae. About 200 species have been described, almost all of which live in freshwater at least for part of their life.

The giant river prawn, Macrobrachium rosenbergii, was one of the first species to become scientifically known, the first recognisable illustration appearing in 1705. The nomenclature of freshwater prawns, both on a generic and a species level has had quite a muddled history. In the past, generic names have included Cancer (Astacus) and Palaemon. Previous names of M. rosenbergii have included Palaemon carcinus, P. dacqueti, and P. rosenbergii and it was not until 1959 that its present scientific name, Macrobrachium rosenbergii (De Man 1879) became universally accepted.

Some taxonomists recognize a western sub-species (found in the waters of the east coast of India, Bay of Bengal, Gulf of Thailand, Malaysia, and the Indonesian regions of Sumatra, Java and Kalimantan) and an eastern sub-species (inhabiting the Philippines, the Indonesian regions of Sulawesi and Irian Jaya, Papua New Guinea and northern Australia). These are referred to as Macrobrachium rosenbergii dacqueti (Sunier 1925) for the western form and Macrobrachium rosenbergii rosenbergii (De Man 1879) for the eastern form. However, from the perspective of freshwater prawn farmers, exact nomenclature has little relevance, especially because the species M. rosenbergii has been transferred within its natural geographical range and been introduced into many other zones where it may become established.