CLASSIFICATION OF PALAEMON (SHRIMP)
KINGDOM :- ANIMALIA (Multicellular eukaryotic organisms)
PHYLUM :- ARTHROPODA (Jointed appendages.)
SUB-PHYLUM:- CRUSTACEA (Exoskeleton thick, antennae 2 pairs, jaws 3 pairs.)
CLASS :- MALACOSTRACA (6 abdominal segments having body distinctly segmented.)
ORDER :- DECAPODA (Carapace present.)
FAMILY :- PALAEMONIDAE (Abdomen well developed and hard.)
GENUS :- Palaemon (Shrimp)
GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION
Commonly found in India.
HABIT AND HABITAT
Palaemon is found in fresh-water streams, rivers, ponds and lakes. The animal is nocturnal, hiding at the bottom during the day and coming to the surface at night in search of food.
GENERAL CHARACTERSTICS OF PALAEMON (SHRIMP)
- Commonly called as Shrimp.
- Body is elongated, spindle-shaped, bilaterally symmetrical and deep orange coloured when preserved and measuring about 25 cm in length.
- Divisions of the body are cephalothorax, abdomen and telson.
- Cephalothorax is made up of 5 head and 8 thoracic segments. Carapace is anteriorly produced into sawtoothed rostrum. There are two prominent eyes on the head.
- Abdomen is made up of 6 segments. It is dorsally rounded, laterally compressed and nonnally bent under the cephalothorax so that the animal looks like comma.
- There are 19 pairs of appendages, one pair in each segment. The cephalic appendages comprise of antennules, antennae, mandibles, maxillulae and maxillae. A large platelike antennal used as a rudder in swimming.
- Thoracic appendages are I maxillipedes, II maxillipedes, III maxillipedes and 5 pairs of jointed walking legs.
- First abdomen somite is not reduced. Rest five abdominal segments contain paired biramous swimming pleopods. Vlth abdominal segment contains paired uropods and a telson. Development includes nauplius larva.
IDENTIFICATION
The animal is larger than Penaeus, contains spatulate uropods and all above characters, hence it is Palaemon
