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The Australian freshwater prawns of the family Palaemonidae

1951; Australian Museum; Volume: 22; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês

10.3853/j.0067-1975.22.1951.614

2201-4349

E. F. Riek,

Marine and environmental studies

The freshwater species of this family are found in the permanent waters of creeks and rivers and to a less extent of dams and waterholes.In the small standing water one is more likely to find prawns of the family Atyidae.The species appear to havc a peculiar distribution in Australia.The dominant• genus Macrobrachium occurs throughout northern Australia and inland Australia south into South Australia where there is at least one coastal species.It is apparently absent from south-west Western Australia but a species of Palaemonetes is recorded from there.Species are not known over most of Victoria, and on the east coast of Australia records are confined to Queensland.Intensive collecting around Sydney has failed to yield any freshwater species.~'amily P ALAEMONIDAE.Uaridea in which the first two pairs of legs are chelate, but dissimilar.'fhe wrist of the second pair of legs is not divided and the rostrum is not hinged, but rigid. Subfamily PALAEMONINAE.A pleurobranch is present at the base of the third maxilliped; posterior margin of the telson with two pairs of spines and two or more plumose setae.Only two genera of this subfamily are represented in the Australian freshwater fauna.'fhe genus Palaemonetes is recorded with a single species from the south-west region of Western Australia.The genus Macrobrachium is widespread over the eastern half of the continent but is unknown in the coastal zone south from the Queensland border and over most of Victoria.Genus Macrobrachium Bate, 1868.Genotype, Macrobrachiurn arnericanurn Bate, 1868.Antennal and hepatic spines present; supraorbital and branchiostegal spines absent; mandible distinctly cleft, normally with a large three-segmented palp; dactylus of last three pairs of legs simple.The species normally occur in freshwater but some may also be found in brackish and even salt water.Some Australian species seem to be entirely marine or really estuarine, for example, novae-hollandiae and danae, as an extensive search has failed to disclose any specimens in fresh water.This genus has generally been considered as Palaemon while most species of Leander are now placed in Palaemon.Leander and Palaemon arc typically marine though some species of Palaemon do occur in fresh water.