Eastern king prawn

Eastern king prawn
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Malacostraca
Order: Decapoda
Suborder: Dendrobranchiata
Family: Penaeidae
Genus: Melicertus
Species:
M. plebejus
Binomial name
Melicertus plebejus
(Hess, 1865)
Synonyms
  • Penaeus plebejus Hess, 1865
  • Penaeus canaliculatus australiensis Bate, 1888
  • Penaeus maccullochi Schmitt, 1926
  • Penaeus (Melicertus) plebejus (Hess, 1865) sec. Burkenroad, 1934
  • Melicertus plebejus (Hess, 1865) sec. Pérez Farfante & Kensley, 1997

The eastern king prawn is an edible dendrobranch prawn endemic to eastern Australia. Its scientific name is Melicertus plebejus or Penaeus plebejus. It is caught by commercial and recreational fishers for human food.