| Litopenaeus setiferus | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Malacostraca |
| Order: | Decapoda |
| Suborder: | Dendrobranchiata |
| Family: | Penaeidae |
| Genus: | Litopenaeus |
| Species: | L. setiferus |
| Binomial name | |
| Litopenaeus setiferus | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Litopenaeus setiferus (also accepted:Penaeus setiferus,[1] and known by variouscommon names includingAtlantic white shrimp,white shrimp,gray shrimp,lake shrimp,green shrimp,green-tailed shrimp,blue-tailed shrimp,rainbow shrimp,Daytona shrimp,Mayport Shrimp,common shrimp,southern shrimp, and, inMexico,camaron blanco) is aspecies ofprawn found along theAtlantic coast of North America and in theGulf of Mexico.[2] It was the subject of the earliestshrimp fishery in the United States.
Therange ofL. setiferus extends fromFire Island,New York toCiudad Campeche,Mexico.[2] It requires warm water, and is unable to survive below 3 °C (37 °F), with appreciable growth only occurring at temperatures over 20 °C (68 °F).[2]
Litopenaeus setiferus may reach a total length (excludingantennae) of 197 millimetres (7.8 in), with females being larger than males.[2] The antennae may be up to three times the length of the body, which is bluish white with a tinge of pink on the sides, and black spots.[3] Thepleopods are often redder, and theuropods andtelson are green.[3] Therostrum is long and thin, with 5–11 teeth on the upper edge and two on the lower edge, and continues along thecarapace as a dorsal carina (ridge).[3] Deep grooves alongside the carina separate the related speciesFarfantepenaeus aztecus ("brown shrimp") andFarfantepenaeus duorarum ("pink shrimp") fromL. setiferus,[2][3] which is sometimes called the non-grooved shrimp.[2]: 3
Litopenaeus setiferus lives inestuaries and from thelittoral zone to water with a depth of 100 feet (30 m) in the Atlantic, or up to 260 feet (79 m) in the Gulf of Mexico.[3]Litopenaeus setiferus is anomnivore; inLake Pontchartrain, it feeds chiefly on theseagrassVallisneria americana anddetritus.[4] Many aquatic animals feed onL. setiferus, including fish such asred drum (Sciaenops ocellatus) andturtles such as theloggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta).[4]
Spawning inL. setiferus occurs while the water is warm, between the increase in water temperatures in the spring and the sudden decline in temperature in the fall.[2] It generally occurs within 9 km (5.6 mi) of theshoreline, in water less than 9 metres (30 ft) deep in the Atlantic, or 8–31 metres (26–102 ft) deep in the Gulf of Mexico.[2] Males attach aspermatophore to the females, which is then used tofertilize the eggs as they are released.[2] Each female releases 500,000–1,000,000 purplish eggs, each 0.2–0.3 mm (0.008–0.012 in) across, which sink to the bottom of the water column.[2]
After 10–12 hours, the eggs hatch intonauplius larvae, which are 0.3 mm (0.012 in) long,planktonic and unable to feed.[2] Theymolt five times to reach theprotozoa stage, 1 mm (0.039 in) long. These grow to 2.5 mm (0.098 in) long over two molts, before passing through three molts as a mysis larva.[2] About 15–20 days after hatching, the animals reach the postlarva stage; in the second postlarval stage, at a length of 7 mm (0.28 in), they begin to enterestuaries and drop down to the substrate.[2]
Spring rains flush the shrimp out into the ocean. In the Eastern United States, shrimp then migrate south towards warmer waters.[5]
Subsistence fishing for prawns was carried out byNative Americans along the Atlantic coast.[6] This knowledge was passed on toEuropean settlers,[6] andLitopenaeus setiferus became the subject of the earliestshrimp fishery in the United States, with commercial fishery forL. setiferus starting as early as 1709.[2]
The harvesting forL. setiferus began in the 1950s and since that time is collected monthly throughout Gulf of Mexico.[7]
