Xiphopenaeus kroyeri


Xiphopenaeus kroyeri, commonly called the Atlantic seabob, is a commercially important prawn. It is up to long and is the most intensely fished prawn species in the Guianas and along much of the Gulf Coast of the United States.

Description

Adults grow to long, with males only reaching. The rostrum has five teeth near the base, but is smooth along the tip, which is greatly elongated and often curves upwards to varying degrees.

Distribution and fishery

X. kroyeri lives in the western Atlantic Ocean from North Carolina to Santa Catarina state, Brazil. It is the most important commercial prawn in parts of the United States from Pensacola to Texas, and in the Guianas. In other areas, such as Mexico, Nicaragua, Honduras, and Trinidad, the fishing effort is only locally intensive. In 2000–2007, the annual catch was greater than.

Taxonomy

Xiphopenaeus kroyeri was first described by Camill Heller in 1862, under the name Penaeus kroyeri. It was transferred to the genus Xiphopenaeus in 1869 by Sidney Irving Smith. X. kroyeri has been considered conspecific with the Pacific species X. riveti, but recent genetic analysis indicates that the two are separate species, and that X. kroyeri may even constitute two cryptic species.