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Generate reportFarfantepenaeus aztecus has a brown to olive-green appearance, though both red and green specimens of this species have been reported (Smithsonian Marine Station, 2004). As per description provided by Smithsonian Marine Station (2004), F. aztecus is a species of grooved, burrowing shrimp, common in Florida waters. Antennae are significantly longer than body length. Its carapace has a medial carina on the anterior surface that is bordered on either side by a broad, somewhat rounded groove. The prominent rostrum is slightly upturned with 5-10 sharp teeth on the upper edge. The integument is thin and translucent in appearance. The first three pairs of walking legs are chelate. Uropods are rounded and generally reddish-brown in the distal portions. The telson bears a sharp tip and a deep medial groove anteriorally.
This species exhibits sexual dimorphism, with females growing larger than males. Generally, males attain only three fifths of the female weight, and five-sixths of the female length. Females are further distinguished by the presence of a closed thelycum located on the ventral sternum of the thorax, while males are identified by the presence of the pentasma.
Farfantepenaeus aztecus occur along the western Atlantic coast from approximately Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, USA through Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the lower Yucatan Peninsula (Williams, 1984). It is also found throughout the Indian River Lagoon.
| Food Source | Food Source Datasheet | Life Stage | Contribution to Total Food Intake (%) | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| detritus | Adult; Fry | |||
| phytoplankton | Adult; Fry; Larval | |||
| zoobentos | Adult; Fry | |||
| zooplankton | Adult; Fry |
| Climate | Status | Description | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| B - Dry (arid and semi-arid) | Preferred | < 860mm precipitation annually | |
| C - Temperate/Mesothermal climate | Preferred | Average temp. of coldest month > 0°C and < 18°C, mean warmest month > 10°C |
| Parameter | Minimum Value | Maximum Value | Typical Value | Status | Life Stage | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ammonia [unionised] (mg/l) | Harmful | Fry | ||||
| Ammonia [unionised] (mg/l) | 0.1 | Optimum | Adult | |||
| Ammonia [unionised] (mg/l) | 0.1 | Optimum | Broodstock | |||
| Ammonia [unionised] (mg/l) | 0.1 | Optimum | Larval | |||
| Ammonia [unionised] (mg/l) | 0.1 | Optimum | Fry | |||
| Bicarbonate (mg/l) | Optimum | Egg | ||||
| Dissolved oxygen (mg/l) | <2.0 | Harmful | Adult | |||
| Dissolved oxygen (mg/l) | <2.0 | Harmful | Fry | |||
| Dissolved oxygen (mg/l) | >5.0 | Optimum | Adult | |||
| Dissolved oxygen (mg/l) | >5.0 | Optimum | Fry | |||
| Salinity (part per thousand) | <27 | >35 | Harmful | Broodstock | ||
| Salinity (part per thousand) | <27 | >35 | Harmful | Egg | ||
| Salinity (part per thousand) | <27 | >35 | Optimum | Larval | ||
| Salinity (part per thousand) | 27 | 35 | Optimum | Broodstock | ||
| Salinity (part per thousand) | 27 | 35 | Optimum | Egg | ||
| Water pH (pH) | Harmful | Fry | ||||
| Water pH (pH) | 6.5 | 8.5 | Optimum | Adult | ||
| Water pH (pH) | 6.5 | 8.5 | Optimum | Larval | ||
| Water pH (pH) | 6.5 | 8.5 | Optimum | Fry | ||
| Water temperature (ºC temperature) | Harmful | Fry | ||||
| Water temperature (ºC temperature) | <10 | >32 | Harmful | Adult | ||
| Water temperature (ºC temperature) | <24 | >36 | Harmful | Larval | ||
| Water temperature (ºC temperature) | 22 | 30 | Optimum | Fry | ||
| Water temperature (ºC temperature) | 24 | 32 | Optimum | Adult | ||
| Water temperature (ºC temperature) | 24 | 32 | Optimum | Larval |
| Natural enemy | Type | Life stages | Specificity | References | Biological control in | Biological control on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lagodon rhomboides | Predator | Minello and et al. (1989) | ||||
| Micropogonias undulatus | Predator | Minello and et al. (1989) | ||||
| Paralichthys lethostigma | Predator | Minello and et al. (1989) |
Chow S, Dougherty WJ, Sandifer PA, 1990. Meiotic chromosome complements and nuclear DNA contents of four species of shrimps of the genus Penaeus. J. Crustacean Biology, 10:29-36
Dall W, 1968. Food and feeding of some Australian penaeid shrimp. Proc. World Sci. Conf. on Biology and Culture of Shrimps and Prawns. FAO Fisheries Reports, 57(2):251-258
FAO, 1980. FAO species catalogue. Volume 1- Shrimps and prawns of the world. An annotated catalogue of species on interest to fisheries. FAO, Rome, 271 pp
Kim W, Abele LG, 1990. Molecular phylogeny of selected decapod crustaceans based on 18S rRNA nucleotide sequences. Journal of Crustacean Biology, 10:1-13
Larson SC, Van Den Avyle MJ, Bozeman EL Jr, 1989. Species profiles: Life histories and environmental requirements of coastal fishes and invertebrates (South Atlantic): brown shrimp. US Fish and Wildlife Service Biological Reports 82(11.90). US Army Corps. Of Engineers TR EL-82-4, 14 pp
Milligan DJ, 1976. A method for obtaining metaphase chromosome spreads from marine shrimp with notes on the karyotypes of Penaeus aztecus, P. setiferus, and P. duorarum. World Mariculture Society, 7:327-332
Minello TJ, Zimmerman RJ, Martinez EX, 1989. Mortality of Young Brown Shrimp Penaeus aztecus in Estuarine Nurseries. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society, 118(6):693-708
Odum WE, Heald E, 1972. Trophic analyses of an estuarine mangrove community. Bull. Mar. Sci., 22(3):671-738
Renfro WC, 1964. Life history stages of a Gulf of Mexico brown shrimp. United States Fish and Wildlife Service Circular, 183:94-98
Smithsonian Marine Station, 2004. Penaeus aztecus. Online at www.sms.si.edu/irlspec/Penaeu_aztecu.htm. Accessed 18 May 2004
Williams AB, 1955. A contribution to the life histories of commercial shrimps (Penaeidae) in North Carolina. Bulletin of Marine Science of the Gulf and Caribbean, 5(2):116-146
Williams AB, 1984. Shrimps, lobsters and crabs of the Atlantic coast of the eastern United States, Maine to Florida. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution Press, 550 pp
Main Author
Sunil Siriwardena
Institute of Aquaculture, University of Stirling, Stirling, FK9 4LA, UK