A giant freshwater prawn rests in an aquarium habitat.

Giant River Prawn (Macrobrachium rosenbergii) — A giant freshwater prawn at the Smithsonian National Zoological Park.

Creator: [Jarek Tuszyński](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Jarekt), [Wikimedia Commons source](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Washington_DC_Zoo_-_Macrobrachium_rosenbergii_1.jpg), [CC BY-SA 3.0 deed](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en) or [GNU FDL 1.2 or later](https://www.gnu.org/licenses/fdl-1.2.html).

Licence: CC BY-SA 3.0; or GNU FDL 1.2 or later

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Species record

Giant River Prawn

Macrobrachium rosenbergii

Explore the Giant River Prawn (Macrobrachium rosenbergii) species record in The Ark Is Earth, including classification, habitat, distribution, conservation information, and sources.

Summary

Macrobrachium rosenbergii is a large freshwater prawn native to tropical South and Southeast Asia. Adults live in freshwater, while females move downstream to estuaries where larvae develop in brackish water before young prawns migrate upstream. The species is also widely farmed for food.

Classification in this archive

  1. Kingdom: Animals
  2. Phylum: Arthropods
  3. Class: Crabs, lobsters and relatives
  4. Order: Decapoda
  5. Family: Palaemonidae
  6. Genus: Macrobrachium

Habitat and distribution

Selected documented locations — not a complete species range.

Habitat
tropical freshwater rivers and lakes, vegetated, detritus-rich freshwater shallows, brackish estuaries during larval development
Selected regions
Asia, North America, South America

Conservation status

Conservation status not recorded.

Did you know?

  • Female giant river prawns carry eggs beneath their abdomen.
  • The larvae need brackish water to develop, then young prawns move upstream into freshwater.

More images

A giant river prawn with long blue claws is shown in an aquarium.

Giant River Prawn (Macrobrachium rosenbergii) — A giant river prawn with long blue claws in an aquarium.

Creator: [Cedricguppy - Loury Cédric](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Cedricguppy), [Wikimedia Commons source](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Macrobrachium_rosenbergii_-_crevette_g%C3%A9ante_d%27eau_douce_-_Aqua_Porte_Dor%C3%A9e_11.JPG), CC BY-SA 4.0. Licence: [CC BY-SA 4.0 deed](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en).

Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0

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Sources and attribution