FAO Species Identification Guide for Fishery Purposes Western

Penaeidae 913
Parapenaeopsis hardwickii (Miers, 1878)
Frequent synonyms / misidentifications: None / Parapenaeopsis cultrirostris Alcock, 1906 (undetermined
taxonomic status; generally considered as a synonym of Parapenaeopsis sculptilis (Heller, 1862).
FAO names: En - Spear shrimp; Fr - Crevette javelot; Sp - Camarón lanzón.
anterior plate
Diagnostic characters: Body naked and smooth.
Rostrum armed with 9 to 11 upper teeth; in
females, rostrum very long and of sigmoidal
shape,with distal 1/3 to 1/2 toothless,extending
far beyond antennular peduncle;in adult males,
unarmed portion absent and slightly curving
downward, only reaching to middle of second
antennular segment. Longitudinal suture extending
to about 3/4 or more carapace length.
First and second legs bearing epipod and basial
spine, basis of third leg unarmed. Petasma of
rostrum of large males
posterior plate
thelycum
distomedian projections
distolateral
projection
proximolateral
lobe
petasma (ventral view)
males with distomedian projection bluntly protruded and short, somewhat wing-like, anterior margin
often crenulate; distolateral projection short and directed laterally. Thelycum of females with anterior plate
concave and semi-circular in shape; posterior plate flat, its anterior margin slightly convex and bearing
a transverse row of long hairs, with anterolateral angles strongly protruded forward. Telson bearing only 3
to 5 pairs of minute movable lateral spinules. Colour: body greyish to greenish grey, sometimes pink, and
densely covered with dark-coloured dots; eyes dark brown; rostrum black-brown; basal 1/3 of antennal flagella
crossed with brown narrow bands;legs generally whitish to pinkish;pleopods reddish and with white and yellowish
green markings on lateral surfaces; uropods dark reddish brown with yellowish margins.
Size: Maximum body length 13.5 cm (females) and 11.1 cm (males), commonly between 6 and 10 cm.
Habitat, biology, and fisheries: Found from the coastline to depths of about 90 m, usually less than 20 m, on
bottom of mud, sandy-mud or sand. Juveniles mainly inhabit estuaries and backwaters. Caught by trawls,
sometimes also by boat seines and stake nets, with females usually outnumbering males in the catches.
Probably the most common species of the genus in the area and of moderate commercial importance. Appears
to be rather abundant along the
Malay Peninsula and in adjacent
waters, where it often
constitutes a significant part
of the bycatch of prawn fishery.
Marketed mainly fresh for
local consumption.
Distribution: Indo-West Pacific
from Pakistan to Taiwan
Province of China and Indonesia.