Macrobrachium esculentum ( Thallwitz, 1891 )

Shokita, Yixiong Cai Shigemitsu, 2006, Report On A Collection Of Freshwater Shrimps (Crustacea: Decapoda: Caridea) From The Philippines, With Descriptions Of Four New Species, Raffles Bulletin of Zoology 54 (2), pp. 245-270 : 263-264

Macrobrachium esculentum ( Thallwitz, 1891)

Palaemon esculentus Thallwitz, 1891: 98 [type locality: northern Celebes (Sulawesi), Indonesia].

Palaemon dulcis Thallwitz, 1891: 99 [type locality: northern Celebes (Sulawesi), Indonesia].

Macrobrachium esculentum – Holthuis, 1950: 257; 1980: 91; Domantay, 1956: 363; Chace & Bruce, 1993: 26; Shy & Yu, 1998: 23.

Material examined. – 6 males, cl 15-28 mm, UR, Bauang River , Luzon Island, Philippines, 16 Jul.1985 .

Remarks. – Macrobrachium esculentum is characterized by the inflated palm, which have a velvety pubescence at the inner surface of the palm. It was firstly reported from Philippines by Domantay (1956), who listed it as one of the most important species commercially in Philippines. Chace & Bruce (1993: 26) doubted this record. The present specimens confirm the distribution of M. esculentum in Philippines. Shy & Yu (1998) reported it from Taiwan. Cai, Naiyanetr & Ng (2004) reviewed the Thai Macrobrachium and confirmed that there is no M. esculentum can be found from Thailand, the record of M. esculentum by Lumubol (1980) and Naiyanetr (1998) must be referred to a species of M. pilimanus group.

Distribution. – Sulawesi, Philippines, Taiwan.