All the freshwater prawns that have been cultured so far belong to the genus
Macrobrachium, Bate 1868, the largest genus of the family Palaemonidae. About 200 species
have been described, almost all of which live in freshwater at least for part of their life.
The giant river prawn, Macrobrachium rosenbergii, was one of the first species to
become scientifically known, the first recognisable illustration appearing in 1705. The
nomenclature of freshwater prawns, both on a generic and a