Crangon crangon
| Crangon crangon | |
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C. crangon
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| Crangon crangon |
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Crangon crangon is a commercially important species of caridean shrimp fished mainly in the southern North Sea, although also found in the Irish Sea, Baltic Sea, Mediterranean Sea and Black Sea, as well as off much of Scandinavia and parts of Morocco's Atlantic coast.[1] Its common names include brown shrimp, common shrimp, bay shrimp, and sand shrimp, while translation of its French name crevette grise (or its Dutch equivalent grijze garnaal) sometimes leads to the English version grey shrimp.
Contents
Description
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Adults are typically 30–50 millimetres (1.2–2.0 in) long, although individuals up to 90 mm (3.5 in) have been recorded.[2] The animals have cryptic colouration, being a sandy brown colour, which can be changed to match the environment.[2] They live in shallow water, which can also be slightly brackish, and feed nocturnally.[2] During the day, they remain buried in the sand to escape predatory birds and fish, with only their antennae protruding.
Crangon is classified in the family Crangonidae, and shares the family's characteristic sub-chelate first pereiopods (where the movable finger closes onto a short projection, rather than a similarly sized fixed finger) and short rostrum.[3]
Distribution and ecology
Crangon crangon has a wide range, extending across the north-eastern Atlantic Ocean from the White Sea in the north of Russia to the coast of Morocco, including the Baltic Sea, as well as occurring throughout the Mediterranean and Black Seas.[4] Despite its wide range, however, there is little gene flow across certain natural barriers, such as the Strait of Gibraltar or the Bosphorus.[5] The populations in the western Mediterranean Sea are thought to be the oldest, with the species' spread across the north Atlantic thought to post-date the Pleistocene.[5]
Adults live epibenthically (on or near the sea-floor) especially in the shallow waters of estuaries or near the coast.[6] It is generally highly abundant, and has a significant effect on the ecosystems it lives in.[6]
Life cycle
Females reach sexual maturity at a length of around 22–43 mm (0.87–1.69 in), while males are mature at 30–45 mm (1.2–1.8 in).[7] The young of Crangon crangon hatch from their eggs into planktonic larvae. These pass through five moults before reaching the "post-larva" stage, at which point they settle to the sea-floor.[7]
Fishery
Historically the commercial fishery was accomplished on horseback on both sides of the Dover straits.[9]
Over 37,000 t of Crangon crangon were caught in 1999, with Germany and the Netherlands taking over 80% of this total.[1]
As food
The brown shrimp enjoys great popularity in Belgium and its neighbouring countries. It is the basis of the dish tomate-crevette, where the shrimp are mixed with mayonnaise and served in a hollowed-out uncooked tomato. The shrimp croquette is another Belgian specialty; the shrimp are in the interior of the battered croquette along with Béchamel sauce. Fresh unpeeled brown shrimp are often served as a snack accompanying beer, typically a sour ale or Flemish red such as Rodenbach.[10]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Based on data sourced from the FishStat database, FAO.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
External links
| External identifiers for Crangon crangon | |
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| Encyclopedia of Life | 1039673 |
| ITIS | 97118 |
| NCBI | 491138 |
| WoRMS | 107552 |
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