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• Marine diversity and ecology
♦ Birds
Mailing address:
Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research
Department of Biological Sciences
Faculty of Science
National University of Singapore
6 Science Drive 2
Blk S6, #03-01
Singapore 117546
REPUBLIC OF SINGAPORE
Tel: +65-6516-5082
Fax: +65-6774-8101
Contact Webmaster
Major projects | Further readings
Freshwater prawns are very common in the region and are often dominant in all kinds of water bodies. They are ecologically significant and several species are commercially important for food.
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The problems with their taxonomy and identification, however, are such that the identification of these animals by non-specialists (and even specialists in many cases) is extremely difficult. |
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The ongoing studies endeavour to better understand variation in the members of the genus, their larval development as well as derive useful keys. Studies are also ongoing for members of the palaemonid genera Palaemon and Exopalaemon. Only after their taxonomy is well understood can studies of their zoogeography and phylogeny progress.
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The long-armed prawn, |
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The revisionary studies on the freshwater prawns of the families Palaemonidae is progressing well with two graduate students working on the fauna from China to western Indonesia and Burma. The work is focused on the genus Macrobrachium, a very difficult and highly speciose genus.
Concurrent studies of various groups of Atyidae (mainly members of the genus Caridina) are also ongoing. The genus is highly speciose and their difficult taxonomy is also a challenge. The fact that they are often collected in large numbers with Macrobrachium does not help!
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| The torrent prawn (left), Atyopsis moluccensis (Atyidae), from Java, and the common filter-feeding shrimp (right), Caridina temasek, which was first described from Singapore but is also common in southern Malaysia. | ||
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The recently discovered freshwater snapping shrimp (left), Alpheus cyanoteles (Alpheidae), first described from Malaysia. |
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