Penaeus is a genus of prawns, containing several commercially important edible species. The giant tiger prawn (P. monodon) is the most important species of farmed crustacean worldwide.

Taxonomy

In 1969, Isabel Pérez Farfante proposed four subgenera of Penaeus: Litopenaeus, Penaeus (nominate subgenus), Fenneropenaeus, and Melicertus. Rudolf N. Burukovsky proposed an additional subgenus Farfantepenaeus in 1972, spit from subgenus Penaeus; however, he did not specify a type taxon, which was corrected in 1997.

The genus was reorganised following a 1997 proposition of Pérez Farfante and Brian Frederick Kensley based on morphological differences, in particular the genital characteristics of these animals, although this revision was not universally accepted. Following the revision, many species formerly in the genus Penaeus were reassigned to new genera in the family Penaeidae: Farfantepenaeus, Fenneropenaeus, Litopenaeus, Melicertus and Marsupenaeus.

In 2023, based on molecular phylogenetic analyses, Chan proposed a reunification of Peneaus sensu lato, with reclassification into eleven subgenera. Fenneropenaeus, Litopenaeus, and Farfantepenaeus retain their scope of included species, but are returned to their original subgeneric rank. Melicertus is assessed as diverse, and split into six.

The following table gives an overview:

Notes

References

External links

• List of species