Prawn is a common name for small aquatic crustaceans with an exoskeleton and ten legs, some of which can be eaten. The term prawn is used particularly in the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Commonwealth nations, for large swimming crustaceans or shrimp, especially those with commercial significance in the fishing industry. Shrimp that are present in this category often belong to the suborder Dendrobranchiata. In North America, the term is used less frequently, typically for freshwater shrimp. The terms shrimp and prawn themselves lack scientific standing. Over the years, the way shrimp and prawn are used has changed, and these days, the terms are almost interchangeable.
''Shrimp'' versus ''prawn''
Regional distinctions
The terms shrimp and prawn originated in Britain. In the use of common names for species, shrimp is applied to smaller species, particularly species that are dorsoventrally depressed with a shorter rostrum. It is the only term used for species in the family Crangonidae, such as the common shrimp or brown shrimp, Crangon crangon. Prawn is never applied to very small species. It is applied to most of the larger forms, particularly species that are laterally compressed and have a long rostrum. However, the terms are not used consistently. For example, some authors refer toPandalus montagui as an Aesop shrimp while others refer to it as an Aesop prawn. Commonwealth countries, and Ireland, tend to follow British usage. Some exceptions occur in Australia where some authors refer to small species of Palaemonidae as prawns and call Alpheidaepistol shrimp. Other Australian authors have given the name banded coral shrimp to the prawn-like Stenopus hispidus and listed "the Processidae and Atyidae as shrimps, the Hippolytidae, Alpheidae, Pandalidae and Campylonotoidea as prawns". New Zealand broadly follows British usage. A rule of thumb given by some New Zealand authors states: "In common usage, shrimp are small, some three inches or less in length, taken for food by netting, usually from shallow water. Prawn are larger, up to twelve inches long, taken by trapping and trawling." South Africa and the former British colonies in Asia also seem to generally follow British usage. Shrimp is the more general term throughout North America, particularly in the United States, where it is the general term. In Canada, the terms are often used interchangeably as in New Zealand but there are regional variations. In Western provinces, prawn is almost exclusively the general term. The term prawn is less commonly used in the United States, being applied mainly to larger shrimp and those living in fresh water.
