Family: Penaeidae Size: The Indian white grows to 228 mm (nearly 9 inches)

Distribution:
This important species is found in the Indo-West Pacific from East and Southeast Africa, through Malaysia and Indonesia to South China and Northern Australia. It is a marine shrimp (with estuarine juveniles) which likes mud or sandy mud at depths of 2 to 90 meters (6 to 300 feet).

Comments:
This is one of the major commercial species of the world. It is the most important shrimp caught off the East African coast, and is probably also the most important Indian commercial species, especially for the inshore fisheries and for rice field culture in Kerala. It is important in Bangladesh, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines. A large population was discovered fairly recently in Northwest Australia.
Similar to P. merguensis, the banana prawn, and P. penicillatus, the red-tail prawn, the Indian white varies in color from almost transparently colorless to bright yellow. It is a good quality, well-flavored shrimp, popular with importers in Japan, Western Europe and the U.S.A. Heavy fishing in India, has reduced the average size caught, from 15-30 count per pound in the late 1970s to 31-110 per pound by the mid-1980s.