Marsupenaeus Japonicus (Japanese Tiger Prawn, Kuruma Prawn) AFFILIATION CRUSTACEANS
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Mediterranean invasive species factsheet www.iucn-medmis.org Species report Marsupenaeus japonicus (Japanese tiger prawn, kuruma prawn) AFFILIATION CRUSTACEANS SCIENTIFIC NAME AND COMMON NAME REPORTS Marsupenaeus japonicus 1 Key Identifying Features The overall body colour is generally pale pink or blue. The carapace is smooth and glossy with no hairs, and there are brownish transverse bars on the upper side of the abdomen. The rostrum has 9-10 sharp teeth on the upper margin and a single tooth on the lower margin. The last pair of appendages (uropods) has brown, yellow and blue transverse stripes, and the first three pairs of walking legs bear claws. Males can reach a total length of 17 cm, females 27 cm. A key taxonomical feature for this species’ identification is the pouch-like thelycum (external receptacle) on the last pair of walking legs of fertilized females. 2013-2021 © IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation. More info: www.iucn-medmis.org Pag. 1/5 Mediterranean invasive species factsheet www.iucn-medmis.org Identification and Habitat The Japanese tiger prawn inhabits mainly bays and inland seas, from the coastline to depths of about 90 m, but usually less than 50 m. It prefers sandy and sandy-mud bottoms, where it lies buried during the day and roams on the bottom at night. Reproduction The spawning season runs from April to November and begins when the seawater temperature exceeds 20 °C. Larvae require water temperatures above 24 °C for growth. The average life-span is approximately 2.5 years. History and Route of Similar Species Introduction The first two pairs of walking legs of the native Native to the Indian and western Pacific Oceans, shrimp Melicertus kerathurus have spines and this species’ first Mediterranean record was as transverse dark bands on the first four segments Penaeus canaliculatus in Egypt in 1924. The of the abdomen. species had migrated through the Suez Canal and has spread subsequently along the Levantine Other species that look similar coast (Israel, Lebanon, Syria, Cyprus and southern Turkey) to the Greek island of Rhodes. Other records, from the Adriatic coast of Italy, France, the Amvrakikos and Vistonikos Gulfs (Greece), the Sea of Marmara, and the Mar Menor (Spain), are most probably due to escapes from aquaculture facilities. Ecological Impacts This prawn competes with the native shrimp Melicertus kerathurus for resources. Farmed prawns can also create major problems for native shrimp species and wild fishes by transferring parasites and disease if escapes from aquaculture facilities occur. 2013-2021 © IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation. More info: www.iucn-medmis.org Pag. 2/5 Mediterranean invasive species factsheet www.iucn-medmis.org Economic Impacts Marsupenaeus japonicus is commercially important for fisheries in the Levant and in pond aquaculture around the Aegean Sea and in the central and western Mediterranean. It has almost supplanted the previously commercially important native penaeid prawn Melicertus kerathurus from the easternmost part of the Mediterranean. Management Options Strict controls on aquaculture procedures and transport may prevent further introductions. Further Reading http://www.europe-aliens.org/pdf/Marsupenaeus_japonicus.pdf Bariche, M. 2012. Field identification guide to the living marine resources of the Eastern and Southern Mediterranean. FAO Species Identification Guide for Fishery Purposes. Rome, FAO. 610 pp. 2013-2021 © IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation. More info: www.iucn-medmis.org Pag. 3/5 Mediterranean invasive species factsheet www.iucn-medmis.org Legend Algae Angiosperm Cnidarians Centre for Mediterranean Molluscs Crustaceans Ascidians Cooperation Combjellies / Fishes Ctenophores More Information: Guide and reports platform for Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in the Mediterranean. www.iucn-medmis.org 2013-2021 © IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation. More info: www.iucn-medmis.org Pag. 4/5 Mediterranean invasive species factsheet www.iucn-medmis.org MPAs, Country Date Density Measure -- 12/08/2015 -- -- How to cite this tab: Marsupenaeus japonicus - Invasive Alien Species Fact Sheet for Mediterranean Network of MPAs. From Online Database MedMIS (IUCN Center for Mediterranean Cooperation, Download date 28/09/2021. More information about this species from: Otero, M., Cebrian, E., Francour, P., Galil, B., Savini, D. 2013. Monitoring Marine Invasive Species in Mediterranean Marine Protected Areas (MPAs): A strategy and practical guide for managers. Malaga, Spain: IUCN. 136 pages www.iucn.org/dbtw-wpd/edocs/2013-008-Es.pdf . Funded by: This collaborative effort is supported by:.