''Metapenaeus elegans'', commonly known as the fine shrimp, is a species of

prawn Prawn is a common name for small aquatic crustaceans with an exoskeleton An exoskeleton () . is a skeleton that is on the exterior of an animal in the form of hardened integument, which both supports the body's shape and protects the intern ...

in the genus ''

Metapenaeus ''Metapenaeus'' is a genus of prawns, containing the following species: *'' Metapenaeus affinis'' (H. Milne-Edwards, 1837) *'' Metapenaeus alcocki'' M. J. George & Rao, 1968 *'' Metapenaeus anchistus'' (de Man, 1920) *'' Metapenaeus arabicus'' H ...

''. It grows up to 8.1 cm.

Distribution

''Metapenaeus elegans'' is benthic, found mostly in freshwater lagoons and ponds in

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

, and

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...

.ac477e06.pdf
/ref> It is found in depths between 1 and 55 meters, usually in waters with low salinity. Prefers temperatures of between 27 and 29 degrees.

Usage

It is sometimes caught with traps in

, but does not have a high commercial value.

References

Penaeidae {{Dendrobranchiata-stub