Common Prawn

Crustacean

Identification & Biology

• IdentificationA large, transparent to pale grey prawn with distinctive dark bands across the body and legs. The rostrum (beak-like projection between the eyes) is long and upturned, with teeth on both upper and lower edges. Red-brown markings become more visible at night.
• SizeBody length up to 11 cm. One of the larger prawn species in European waters.
• Social HabitFound in groups, often sheltering in crevices and under overhangs during the day. More active at night when foraging in the open.
• HabitatRocky reefs, boulder fields, seagrass meadows, and tide pools. Prefers sheltered areas with good cover.
• Depth0 to 40 m. Most common in the shallows down to about 15 m.
• Feeds OnAlgae, small invertebrates, detritus, and carrion. An opportunistic omnivore that scavenges as well as grazes.
• DistributionEastern Atlantic from Denmark to Mauritania, and throughout the Mediterranean and Black Seas. Common in Maltese waters.
• DescriptionPalaemon serratus is one of the most frequently encountered prawns on Mediterranean dives. Groups are often spotted in the beams of a torch, their eyes glowing red-orange in the light. They play an important role in cleaning stations, picking parasites and dead tissue from fish. This is the same species sold commercially as the common prawn in fish markets across Europe.