Kuruma Prawn

Indo-West Pacific: from the Red Sea, E. and S.E. Africa to Korea, Japan and the Malay Archipelago, also reported from Fiji. Eastern Atlantic: the species entered the eastern Mediterranean through the Suez Canal and has reached the south coast of Turkey.

Maximum total length 190 mm (male), 225 mm (female); maximum carapace length 53 mm (male) 66 mm (female).

Bottom sandy mud and sand. Marine.Bathymetry: from 0 to 90 m.

On the east and southeast coast of Africa, in Madagascar waters, in the Gulf of Aden, and in the Red Sea the Species is fished,but is of minor commercial importance. In India small fisheries for this species are mentioned for the Bombay and Madras areas (Kurian & Sebastian, 1976:l00). Domantay (1956:363) reported it among the commercially important prawns of the Philippines. In Japan the fishery is of major importance, the present species being the most valuable of the commercial shrimps, it is not only trawled but also plays a role in the pond fishery. In New Guinea P. japonicus forms a small percentage of commercial catches (Rapson & McIntosh, 1971:17) . In the eastern Mediterranean the species is caught by Turkish, Israelian and Egyptian trawlers. It is possible that the records of the fishery for Penaeus canaliculatus (see there) in India, Indonesia and the Philippines actually pertain to the present species. Serious and most successful efforts at culturing the species, both in ponds and tanks, are undertaken in Japan (Shigueno, 1975). In some areas outside Japan (e.g., Korea, Taiwan, France) the species is also used in aquaculture experiments.