Palaemonidae

Palaemonidae is a family of crustaceans of the order Decapoda. They belong to the infraorder Caridea, which contains the true shrimp; while some freshwater palaemonid species are known as "prawns", the family belongs to the suborder Pleocyemata like all true shrimp, whereas the true prawns are members of the suborder Dendrobranchiata.

Two subfamilies are distinguished: Palaemoninae and Pontoniinae. The Palaemoninae are mainly carnivores that eat small invertebrates and can be found in any aquatic habitat except the deep sea. The most significant palaemonine genus is Macrobrachium, which contains commercial species such as Macrobrachium rosenbergii.

The Pontoniinae inhabit coral reefs, where they associate with certain invertebrates such as sponges, cnidarians, mollusks and echinoderms. This group includes cleaner shrimps as well as parasites and commensals. They generally feed on detritus, though some are carnivores and hunt tiny animals.

Genera

The family contains 134 genera, divided unevenly between two subfamilies:^[1]

Palaemoninae Rafinesque, 1815

Pontoniinae Kingsley, 1879

References