Macrobrachium nipponense

Invasion History

First Non-native North American Tidal Record: 2004
First Non-native West Coast Tidal Record:
First Non-native East/Gulf Coast Tidal Record: 2004

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General Invasion History:

Macrobrachium nipponense (East Asian River Prawn) is widespread in lakes, rivers, and estuaries from Northern China to Vietnam, including Japan and Taiwan. Many riverine populations require brackish water for reproduction, and are catadromous or amphidromous, while other populations can complete their life history in fresh water (Ogasawara et al. 1979). This shrimp had been widely introduced through aquaculture and the aquarium industry to Singapore, Laos, the Philippines, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Iraq, Iran, and Ukraine (Chong et al. 1987, DeGrave & Gahne 2006, Hanamura et al. 2012, Son et al. 2020). Populations are also established in cooling reservoirs in Belarus, Russia and Moldova, where they were established for aquaculture. It is also established in lagoons along the Caspian and Black Seas in Iran, where it occurs mostly in the freshwater portions (DeGrave & Gahne 2006, Son et al. 2020). 

North American Invasion History:

Invasion History on the East Coast:

The East Asia River Prawn (Macrobrachium nipponense) was first reported in the United States in 2004, from the upper Edisto estuary in South Carolina (GBIF 2022; Museum of Comparative Zoology 2022). However, the identification of this specimen is uncertain (Rob Aguilar 2022, personal communication). The next known record was in 2014 in the retention pond at the Crystal Coast Visitors Center, in Morehead City, North Carolina. On 14 occasions between 2014 and 2020, this shrimp was found in ditches, ponds, adjacent to estuaries in North and South Carolina, and once in the St. Johns River, Florida (Procopio & Daniel 2025). Although most records of this shrimp on the East Coast were from non-tidal waters, they were always adjacent to estuaries, and many populations of this shrimp in its native coastal regions are amphidromous (Mashiko 1990). We consider that the occurrences of this shrimp in the southeastern US represent established migratory populations at least in the White Oak River drainage of Bogue Sound, North Carolina (Scott Smith (NCDNR, cited by Procopio & Daniel 2025).  This shrimp is sold and distributed in the aquarium industry, but its occurrence in proximity to major ports (Morehead City, Charleston, Jacksonville) also raises the possibility of a ballast water introduction (Procopio & Daniel 2025).

Invasion History Elsewhere in the World:

Macrobrachium nipponense (East Asian River Prawn) is widely cultivated in Asia for food in China, Japan, and Taiwan despite its small size (75–86 mm), because of its good flavor and ability to grow in fresh or brackish water (Ogasawara et al. 1979, Holthuis 1980). It is cultivated in China, Japan and Taiwan, and has been introduced to Singapore, the Philippines, and Laos (Chong 1982, Hanamura et al. 2011). The shrimp were also introduced with herbivorous carps from the Yangtze River, which were shipped to the Soviet Union for aquaculture and aquatic weed control in powerplant cooling reservoirs in the former Soviet Union, including Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus, eastern Romania, Bulgaria and Moldova and it is expected to spread even further (Munjiu et al. 2023, Nekrasova et al. 2024). Macrobrachium nipponense from Moldova entered the Dneister delta and became established in lagoons along the Black Sea, near Odesa (Son et al. 2020). In Iran, the shrimp may have been imported with aquaculture of Asian Carps or descended the Ural River from reservoirs in Kazakhstan, reaching lagoons on the shore of the Caspian Sea (deGrave & Ghane 2006). By 1986, M. nipponense had been introduced to the reservoirs (Moldavskaya GRES powerplant) on the Dneister River, and then spread to small rivers and estuaries on the Dneister River in Ukraine (Zhmud et al. 2022). It has been found in fish ponds in Odesa, and is likely to spread in estuaries on the shore of the Black Sea (Son et al. 2020).

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Description

Macrobrachium nipponense belongs to the infraorder Caridea. Infraorder characteristics include chelae (movable claws) on the first two pairs of walking legs, and the third thoracic segment overlapping the second. The genus Macrobrachium (meaning 'large arms') belongs to the family of shrimps Palaemonidae that have the second pair of walking legs greatly lengthened, often equaling or exceeding body length, with very prominent chelae (Holthuis 1980, Williams 1984). In M. nipponense, the second pair of walking legs (pereiopods) are roughly equal in length, and in large males, about twice the body length. The fingers are covered with short setae along the cutting edge. The second walking legs in adult females (<15 mm carapace length), are smaller than those of males (Hanumura et al. 2011).

The rostrum is nearly straight with 10–13 dorsal teeth, including 2–3 posterior on the dorsal margin, and 2–3 ventral teeth. The antennal scale is 0.6–0.8 times the carapace length. There is an antennal spine posterior to the orbit, and a hepatic spine slightly lower and posterior to the antennal spine. The 6th abdominal segment is 1.3–1.6 times as long as the 5th segment, while the telson is 1.4–1.7 times as long as the 6th segment. The tip of the telson is subtriangular, with two pairs of subterminal spines, and two pairs of dorsolateral spines. Adult males reach 86 mm, while females have a maximum length of 75 mm (Holthuis 1980).

Some estuarine and freshwater populations in Japan are reported to have a few different reproductive and morphological characteristics and thus may represent a species complex, although more research is needed (Hanamura et al. 2011). Population genetic studies on M. nipponense show a great deal of genetic diversity within and among its native ranges in China, Japan, Korea and Taiwan (Chen et al. 2017, Xiong et al. 2023).

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Taxonomy

Ecology

General:

Macrobrachium nipponense (East Asian River Prawn) is a shrimp which has land-locked freshwater and amphidromous populations. It has a wide distribution in temperate to tropical regions, in freshwater and brackish waters. Temperature and salinity tolerances probably vary between populations, as indicated by morphological and life history variations between populations (Ogasawara et al. 1979, Holthuis 1980, Hanamura et al. 2011). Successful temperatures for culture are 19–24 ºC (Wu & Tang 1990).  Some populations complete their development entirely in fresh water, but larvae from estuarine populations show varying salinity tolerance during development. (Ogasawara et al. 1979, Mashiko 2009). Some coastal populations have larvae which can develop in full seawater (~35 PSU), while others have more limited tolerance of salinity (Ogasawara et al.1979, Imayabashi et al. 1994).  Adults from Chinese aquaculture populations had best growth and survival at 0–14 PSU but had reduced growth and survival at 22 PSU (Huang et al. 2019). Coastal brackish-water populations are not known to be strong migrators, avoiding strong currents.  However, they can move into adjacent streams and swamps, at least in lake populations (Mashiko 1990). Larvae feed on zooplankton and are cultured on brine shrimp (Artemia) larvae. Juveniles and adults are omnivorous, feeding on a variety of invertebrates, plant material and detritus and small fishes. Cannibalism does occur when food is limited (D'Abramo & Brunton 1996). It is a likely prey for fishes (Mirzajani et al. 2020).

Food:

Algae, vascular plants, crustaceans, mollusks, small fish

Consumers:

Fishes, humans

Competitors:

Other shrimps

Trophic Status:

Omnivore

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Habitats

General Habitat	Nontidal Freshwater	None
General Habitat	Fresh (nontidal) Marsh	None
General Habitat	Salt-brackish marsh	None
General Habitat	Swamp	None
General Habitat	Coarse Woody Debris	None
General Habitat	Canals	None
Salinity Range	Limnetic	0-0.5 PSU
Salinity Range	Oligohaline	0.5-5 PSU
Salinity Range	Mesohaline	5-18 PSU
Salinity Range	Polyhaline	18-30 PSU
Vertical Habitat	Epibenthic	None
Vertical Habitat	Nektonic	None

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Life History

The fresh and brackish water shrimps of the genus Macrobrachium have evolved from marine ancestors. While many are land-locked and complete their life-cycle in fresh water, other species are amphidromous, migrating to salt or brackish water, or releasing larvae which drift downstream to brackish water. (Bauer & Delahoussaye 2008). The extent of migration is unclear, since M. nipponense appears to be intolerant of currents, and may largely reside in fresh or brackish habitats (Mashiko 1990).

The East Asian River Prawn Macrobrachium nipponense has both estuarine populations living in coastal areas, and landlocked populations completing their life cycle in fresh water in inland locations (Ogasawara et al. 1979). Macrobrachium nipponense with both types of life histories can coexist within the same river basin, differing in egg size and fecundity (Mashiko 1990). In caridean shrimp, the copulating pair, a hard-shelled male, and a newly molted female, are usually oriented at right angles to one another, with the genital regions opposing each other. The modified first and second pairs of pleopods are used to transfer a spermatophore to a receptacle between the thoracic legs of the female (Barnes 1983). The eggs are transferred from the female's abdomen to a brood chamber between the pereiopods. The eggs remain attached until they hatch (D'Abramo & Brunson 1998). Eggs of populations in the mouths of rivers tend to be more numerous and smaller (~0.05 mm) than eggs in freshwater lakes (Mashiko 1990). The eggs hatch into zoea larvae, which go through though 9 stages to become postlarvae (Ogasawara et al. 1979). Larvae from different populations appear to differ in their response to salinity, with one estuarine population developing successfully at ~35 PSU, while other freshwater and populations failed to develop at salinities above ~25 PSU (Ogasawara et al. 1979) or 16 PSU (Imayabashi et al. 1994).

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Tolerances and Life History Parameters

Minimum Temperature (ºC)	4	Anzali Lagoon, Iran, seasonal minimum (de Grave and Ghane 2006)
Maximum Temperature (ºC)	33	Anzali Lagoon, Iran, seasonal maximum (de Grave and Ghane 2006)
Minimum Salinity (‰)	0	Coastal populations may reside as adults, in fresh or brackish water, and migrate short distances or release larvae that drift into brackish water, where they develop; Inland populations can complete their life cycle in fresh water (Ogasawara et al. 1979; Mashiko 2009).
Maximum Salinity (‰)	34	Coastal populations release their larvae in brackish water or inflowing streams, while inland populations can complete their development in fresh water. Zoeae larvae from a coastal river (Shimanto River) had good survival at salinities up to 34 PSU. Larvae from freshwater lakes (Biwa, Kasumigaura) has reduced survival above 18-20 PSU (Ogasawara et al. 1979). Adults from Chinese aquaculture populations grew well a14 PSU, but had reduced growth and survival at 22 PSU (Huang et al. 2019).
Minimum Duration	23	Zoeal stages to postlarvae at 26-28 C at 2-34 PSU for shrimp from the Shimanto River (Ogasawra et al. 1979).
Maximum Duration	49	Zoeal stages to postlarvae at 26-28 C at 2-34 PSU for shrimp from the Shimanto River (Ogasawra et al. 1979)
Minimum Length (mm)	76	Females (Holthuis 1980)
Maximum Length (mm)	86	Males. Sexual size dimorphism is common in the genus (Holthuis 1980).
Broad Temperature Range	1	Cold temperate to tropical
Broad Salinity Range	0	Macrobrachium nipponense is an facultatively amphidromous shrimp, which typically lives in fresh or low-salinity water. The larvae of coastal populations develop in oligo to polyhaline waters, and then migrate into less saline waters. Landlocked populations complete their life cycles in freshwater (Ogasawara et al. 1979; Holthuis 1980)

General Impacts

In its native range in East Asia, Macrobrachium nipponense is an important fisheries and aquaculture species, favored for its good flavor (Holthuis 1980, Chong 1987, Hanamura et al. 2011). In the United States, aquaculture efforts have focused on the large tropical species M. rosenbergi, and we do not have documentation of aquaculture of M. nipponense (Rob Aguilar, personal communication).  It is apparently widespread in the southeastern coastal regions of the United States, but its impacts have not yet been studied (Rob Aguilar, personal communication 2022).

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Regional Impacts

MED-IX	None		Economic Impact	Fisheries
Being evaluated for potential fisheries, developing gears and regulations (Son et al, 2023),

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