Family: Penaeidae Size: The southern pink shrimp reaches a length of about 190mm (7.5 inches)

Distribution:
The southern pink is found on both sides of the Atlantic. In the east it ranges from Mauritania to Angola along the African coast. In the west it is found in Cuba and the Virgin Islands and along the mainland of the continent from southern Mexico (Quintana Roo) south as far as Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. It likes depths from close inshore down to 50 meters (165 feet) and is sometimes found as deep as 100 meters (325 feet). The species prefers mud, sandy mud or sandy patches among the rocks. The juveniles are estuarine, the adults strictly marine dwelling.

Comments:
This species, together with the white shrimp P schmitti, is the most important commercial shrimp of the Caribbean, Central America, Atlantic Venezuela and northern Brazil. It is a pink shrimp, sometimes called Brazil pink in the U.S.A. (where it is also known by the names of the many countries where it is caught and frozen for export to the U.S.A.). It is also important in West Africa, where it is fished inshore for local consumption and offshore by foreign trawlers for world markets.
The southern pink shrimp is a sweet, fairly firm shrimp with an attractive color both raw and cooked. It softens quickly if left in warn conditions for too long, but is excellent quality when properly handled and processed.
It is very similar to P. duorarum and as recently as 1967 was regarded as a sub-species rather than as a separate species.