The Southern Rough shrimp (Trachysalambria curvirostris) is a species of prawn which lives in shallow waters of the Indo-West Pacific. It is found from East Africa and the Red Sea to Japan and Australia.
It is one of the most important species targeted by prawn fishery, with an annual harvests of more than 0.3 million tonnes. And majority of the catches are from China.
The Southern Rough shrimp has also entered the Mediterranean Sea through the Suez Canal as a Lessepsian migrant.
It is also known by some other names such as Cocktail shrimp and Hardback prawn. Read some more information about this prawn species below.
Southern Rough Shrimp Characteristics
The Southern Rough shrimp is relatively a small sized prawn. The exoskeleton is “densely pubescent” (covered in thick down).
It can be distinguished from similar species by the form of the petasma and thelycum, and also by the coloration of the uropods. Their uropods are red or reddish brown, with conspcuous white margins.
Rostrum of the Southern Rough shrimp is straight or slightly curved upwards, and bears 7-11 teeth on the dorsal side. The last 4 segments of the pleon have a median crest, while the second segment has a tubercle on the mid-line.
On an average, the females can reach a total length of 105 mm. While the males are much smaller, reaching about 81 mm.
Maximum carapace length is 22 mm in males, and around 30 mm in females. Photo and info from Wikipedia.
Breeding
Generally breeding of the Southern Rough shrimp takes place in June, July and August. The females can lay up to 100,000 eggs.
Uses
The Southern Rough shrimp is mainly used for food.
Special Notes
The Southern Rough shrimp is a commercially important species in China, Japan, Korea and Taiwan. It is also fished on smaller scales in the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, Arabian Sea and Madagascar.
It is also abundant around the coasts of Australia, but is too small to be commercially viable there. But is very important in Chinese fishery.
It is less important in Indian fishes, because it is not found in larger numbers for contributing to a fishery.
It is used mainly for food, but also used as bait shrimp. However, review full breed profile of the Southern Rough shrimp in the table below.
| Name | Southern Rough |
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Phylum | Arthropoda |
| Class | Malacostraca |
| Order | Decapoda |
| Family | Penaeidae |
| Genus | Trachysalambria |
| Species | T. curvirostris |
| Binomial Name | Trachysalambria curvirostris |
| Other Names | Also known as Cocktail shrimp and Hardback prawn |
| Breed Purpose | Mainly food |
| Special Notes | Commercially important species in China, Korea and Japan, used mainly for food, but also used as bait shrimp |
| Breeding Method | Natural |
| Climate Tolerance | Native climates |
| Body Color | Reddish brown |
| Rarity | Common |
| Availability | Asia |
