Abstract
Holthuis (1995) commented that there were two forms that have been referred to the widespread Indo-West Pacific Giant Freshwater Prawn Macrobrachium rosenbergii (De Man, 1879), and they should be recognized as subspecies: M. rosenbergii rosenbergii (De Man, 1897) sensu stricto (eastern Indonesia, New Guinea, Australia and Philippines), and M. rosenbergii dacqueti (Sunier, 1925) (Sundaic Southeast Asia, Indochina and South Asia). Wowor & Ng (2007) argued that the two subspecies should be regarded as distinct species - M. rosenbergii (De Man, 1879) and M. dacqueti (Sunier, 1925). They showed that the two species, in addition to their non-overlapping distributions, can be distinguished by the relative height of the rostral base, spination of the secondto fifth pereiopods in adults, shape of the fourth thoracic sternite as well as live coloration. However, in doing so, Wowor & Ng (2007) created a major nomenclatural problem, as the species that is widely fished in South and Southeast Asia as well as Indochina, and also extensively cultured throughout the world should actually be known as M. dacqueti and not M. rosenbergii.
NSTL