7
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
N. Gökoğlu, Shellfish Processing and Preservation,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-60303-8_2
Chapter 2
Crustacean Shellfish
2.1 Shrimps/Prawns
2.1.1 General Information About Shrimps/Prawns
2.1.1.1 Biology of Shrimps/Prawns
Shrimps/prawns are member of crustaceans’ subphylum, they are creatures having
an extended abdomen, in lengths ranging from microscopic size to 35 mm. Shrimps/
prawns taxonomically belong to the swimming group of decapod crustaceans in
suborder Macrura Natantia (Chan 1998a). The body of the shrimps consists of a
combined head and thorax (cephalothorax) and abdominal (abdomen) region of the
ring-shaped segments (Artuz 2005). At the anterior end of the crust covering cephalothorax (carapace), there is a sharp spike-shaped protruding rostrum, which plays
a role in the differentiation and recognition of species. The shrimp has two pairs of
antennas. The part of abdomen is longer and stronger than cephalothorax. This part
forms the edible portion of shrimps. At the back end of the abdomen there is a fanshaped tail (telson) consisting of five lobes. The legs on the thorax are used to hold
and walk (pereiopods), whereas the legs on the abdomen are paddle-shaped, swimming legs (pleopods) that allow the animal to swim. These swimming legs are
shaped to help the eggs to be kept in the female and the care of the fry (Kumlu 2001;
Artuz 2005; Sathiya and Valarmathi 2018).
Shrimps and prawns generally live well on the bottom of the seabed although
they can swim well. They rise to the higher water body from the ground time to
time. Shrimps, which usually bury themselves partly in the sand during the day, rise
upwards to hunt at night. Many shrimp species, especially Penaeids, are both carnivorous and herbivorous, and can generally take small-shelled aquatic organisms,
maggots, aquatic plants, and organic particles as nutrients. Nutrition-related migrations are performed depending on the day-night period. In other words, shrimps that
live at the bottom and are fed by organisms during the day migrate vertically or
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
N. Gökoğlu, Shellfish Processing and Preservation,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-60303-8_2
Chapter 2
Crustacean Shellfish
2.1 Shrimps/Prawns
2.1.1 General Information About Shrimps/Prawns
2.1.1.1 Biology of Shrimps/Prawns
Shrimps/prawns are member of crustaceans’ subphylum, they are creatures having
an extended abdomen, in lengths ranging from microscopic size to 35 mm. Shrimps/
prawns taxonomically belong to the swimming group of decapod crustaceans in
suborder Macrura Natantia (Chan 1998a). The body of the shrimps consists of a
combined head and thorax (cephalothorax) and abdominal (abdomen) region of the
ring-shaped segments (Artuz 2005). At the anterior end of the crust covering cephalothorax (carapace), there is a sharp spike-shaped protruding rostrum, which plays
a role in the differentiation and recognition of species. The shrimp has two pairs of
antennas. The part of abdomen is longer and stronger than cephalothorax. This part
forms the edible portion of shrimps. At the back end of the abdomen there is a fanshaped tail (telson) consisting of five lobes. The legs on the thorax are used to hold
and walk (pereiopods), whereas the legs on the abdomen are paddle-shaped, swimming legs (pleopods) that allow the animal to swim. These swimming legs are
shaped to help the eggs to be kept in the female and the care of the fry (Kumlu 2001;
Artuz 2005; Sathiya and Valarmathi 2018).
Shrimps and prawns generally live well on the bottom of the seabed although
they can swim well. They rise to the higher water body from the ground time to
time. Shrimps, which usually bury themselves partly in the sand during the day, rise
upwards to hunt at night. Many shrimp species, especially Penaeids, are both carnivorous and herbivorous, and can generally take small-shelled aquatic organisms,
maggots, aquatic plants, and organic particles as nutrients. Nutrition-related migrations are performed depending on the day-night period. In other words, shrimps that
live at the bottom and are fed by organisms during the day migrate vertically or