Common prawn

Palaemon serratus

Common prawn (Palaemon serratus) — Photo: Stefan · CC-BY-NC (iNaturalist)

Scientific name: Palaemon serratus
Group: Crustaceans
Rarity: Common
Where to see it: Mediterranean, Temperate Atlantic / English Channel
Conservation status (IUCN): Not evaluated

Did you know?

This translucent shrimp flicks its tail to shoot backward when startled, and its long saw-edged rostrum makes it easy to identify.

What defines this group — Crustaceans

Armoured arthropods: crabs, shrimp and lobsters, all built around an external shell.

The skeleton is on the outside; growing means shedding it — the moult.
Jointed legs in pairs, often reshaped into claws or antennae.
The larvae drift with the plankton in open water before settling on the bottom.

Other species in this group

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