Pink Shrimp
Penaeus duorarum
Description 4
Pink shrimp, like other members of the commercially important Penaeidae, can be distinguished from other families of shrimp due to their antennae, which are longer than their body lengths, and by their first three pairs of walking legs, which are chelate (Amos and Amos 1997). The integument is thin and translucent. Overall body color is highly variable, but generally gray, bluish or red-brown. The sides of the animal are somewhat flattened. The carapace has a medial carina that extends nearly to posterior end of carapace and is bordered by a broad, rounded groove on either side. The rostrum is somewhat thicker than in Penaeus aztecus and bears 6 - 7 sharp teeth on the dorsal surface. Ventrally, the rostrum may have 1- 3 teeth. The abdomen has 4 - 6 carinate segments, with the carina of the sixth segment ending in a spine. A dark, distinct spot on the pleural junction between the 3rd and 4th abdominal segments can be used to distinguish this species from other members of the genus. The tail is edged with blue coloration, and the telson has a deep medial groove. There is significant variation throughout the geographic range for a number of characteristics including the width of both the carina and its bordering groove; the number of external spines; and the number of pentasmal spines in males. The female thelycum is closed and is composed of 2 lateral plates and a medial protuberance. The male pentasma has distal ends that are curved and do not project free of the distolateral lobes on the ventral surface.
Distribution 5
Penaeus duorarum occurs in coastal waters and estuaries from the region around Chesapeake Bay south through the Florida Straits and the Gulf of Mexico to Cape Catoche and Isla Mujeres on the tip of the Yucatan Peninsula. Penaeus duorarum is an important commercial species.
Size 6
Penaeus duorarum is sexually dimorphic, with large males attaining a length of 169 mm, and large females reaching over 280 mm (Williams 1984). Postlarvae that enter estuarine nursery grounds undergo rapid growth (Williams 1984), with growth rates slowing as shrimp age. During the warm summer months, young shrimp spawned in March or April were found to grow at approximately 7 mm per month, while older shrimp grew at approximately 5 mm per month. In large individuals (over 150 mm), growth per month is negligible (Iverson and Jones 1961).Individuals reaching sexual maturity may live a year or more. Aging shrimp based on body size, Eldred et al. (1961) estimated that a 140 mm individual was approximately 1 year old, and that a 200 mm individual was approximately 2 years old.
Reproduction 7
Undeveloped ovaries in Penaeus duorarum females are flaccid. As ovaries begin to mature, ova develop and grow larger. A nearly ripe stage is marked by ovaries becoming large and an opaque white color that is visible through the integument. When fully ripe, the ovary contains rod-like refractive bodies and takes on a blue-green color (Cummings 1961). In the region around Beaufort, North Carolina, the northernmost extent of the breeding range, roe-bearing females appear in commercial catches from May through July (Burkenroad 1949; Williams 1955), indicating that there is only one spawning season in this population.Further south, Cummings (1961) found that the Florida population of Penaeus duorarum was likely to spawn multiple times. In this population, peak spawning occurred from April through July; however, ripe females were also found at other times of the year. Spawning occurs at temperatures between 19 - 30 ? C, with increased activity taking place when temperatures are highest. As temperatures in Florida waters begin to cool in the fall, spawning activity shifts into deeper waters (Jones et al. 1970).
Link to Access Genomic Data 8
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/Taxonomy/Browser/wwwtax.cgi?id=64466&lvl=0
Sources and Credits
- (c) matbio, all rights reserved
- (c) FlaPack, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://www.flickr.com/photos/7357887@N04/3606274296
- unknown|Author, no known copyright restrictions (public domain), https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/11/Farfantepenaeus_duorarum.png
- (c) Smithsonian Marine Station at Fort Pierce, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/11527481
- Adapted by matbio from a work by (c) Smithsonian Marine Station at Fort Pierce, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/11527482
- (c) Smithsonian Marine Station at Fort Pierce, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/11527486
- Adapted by matbio from a work by (c) Smithsonian Marine Station at Fort Pierce, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/11527485
- (c) Emily Rose Sharkey, all rights reserved
