What kind of external morphological difference exist & what is their taxonomic position
those who are living in fresh water are called as prawns (fresh water prawn- macrobrachium rosenbergii, M. idella )
rest of them are shrimps (Penaeus monodon, P. indicus)
Many consumers and restaurants use the terms “shrimp” and “prawns” interchangeably. Terminology also varies from nation to nation, which can make matters even more confusing.In fact, shrimp and prawns are closely related. Let's start with the similarities. Both are decapod crustaceans. That means they have exoskeletons and 10 legs. They can be found in salt water and fresh water all over the world, typically swimming in search of food. Both shrimp and prawns tend to stay near the ocean floor. They also have similar flavours, and come in a wide range of sizes from minuscule to quite large. In commercial farming and fisheries, the terms shrimp and prawn are often used interchangeably. But of late, the term "prawn" only signifies freshwater forms of palaemonids and "shrimp" for the marine penaeids. Also, shrimp and prawns are in different suborders. Prawns are in the suborder Dendobranchiata, while shrimp are in suborder Pleocyemata. The main difference between these two suborders is gill structure. Shrimp have branching gills, while prawns have lamellar gills (a plate-like structure). The other features that distinguish the difference are that the front pincers of shrimp are usually the largest, and, generally, prawns have bigger second pincers. Prawns also have longer legs than shrimp.
Mr. Seelam
Thank You very much. You gave a very systematic answer which is good to help my students understand the differences. Thanks a lot.
Agree with above comments and that is what I have learned. But this usage is not followed in Europe at least. I was surprised to see Nephrops (small lobsters) are called `Prawns' in the market.
I'm agree with Seelam. In Iran's market people call small sizes as shrimp and larger sizes as prawn but common name for both is "Meigoo".
first three of periodpods have pincers in prawn but in shrimp only fisrt two have pincers
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