Common Prawn

Overview

The Common Prawn (Palaemon serratus) is a familiar decapod crustacean often found in rocky intertidal pools and shallow coastal waters. These translucent, pinkish-brown shrimp typically live in groups and are well-known for their quick, darting movements when disturbed.

Distribution & habitat

This species is widely distributed across the northeastern Atlantic Ocean, ranging from Norway to Mauritania, and is also found in the Mediterranean and Black Seas. They inhabit a variety of environments, including rocky crevices, seagrass beds, and estuaries, often moving to deeper waters during colder months.

Appearance

Reaching up to 11 cm in length, the Common Prawn has a cylindrical body with a distinctive, large upturned rostrum that features 6–7 dorsal and 4–5 ventral teeth. Its translucent exoskeleton is marked by reddish-brown lines, and the first two pairs of walking legs end in claws with characteristic yellow and red banding.

Biology & behavior

Primarily nocturnal, these prawns spend their days hiding in dark crevices or buried in the substrate. They are omnivorous scavengers that feed on algae, small crustaceans, and organic detritus. They are known to be euryhaline, allowing them to thrive in environments with fluctuating salinity, such as estuaries.

Reproduction

Reproduction is seasonal, with females typically producing winter and summer broods. After internal fertilization, females carry between 200 and 5,000 eggs on their pleopods for approximately 30 to 40 days before they hatch into planktonic larvae.