Funky looking prawn (New Holland River Prawn)

[Flickn Mad]

Took my two oldest prawning neat tea gardens last week. We were just mucking around for the kids sake and caught a couple of these things with massively long claws. I have seen a few over the years but no one has been able to tell me what they are. 

Didnt whant to keep them not knowing, There is three in the bucket with the normal prawns but one in particular with claws 3 times the length of its body.

Any ideas

[Blackfish]

Ok, after a bit of asking around we now have a ID.

 "New Holland River Prawn"  Macrobrachium novaehollandiae

 

[Yowie]

Good to keep and eat.

 

[hotbite]

Hi Flickn Mad......Its a type of "Cherabin".....they grow as big as a King Prawn but are mainly a sub tropical/ tropical critter. In Queensland & the Northern Territory they use them live for Barramundi. I have heard of them being called a "Rock Prawn" but this is just a local slang term.....

 

[Flickn Mad]

Thanks Hotbite, Cherabin fit the bill except for the location. The ones I have seen in the shoal haven and now at tea gardens have been in salt and or brackish water at best. And way to far south for our little tropical friends. That according to the Internet, and that never lies.

[Flickn Mad]

14 hours ago, hotbite said:

Hi Flickn Mad......Its a type of "Cherabin".....they grow as big as a King Prawn but are mainly a sub tropical/ tropical critter. In Queensland & the Northern Territory they use them live for Barramundi. I have heard of them being called a "Rock Prawn" but this is just a local slang term.....

 

Hey hotbite.I tried to follow up on the cherabin and found out that they are a macrobrachium. There are apparently up to 200 varieties and there are at least one marine species found on the east coast As far south as Sydney. They're was too much science talk and my head started to hurt so let's run with rock prawn. 

 

No fisheries info, do you know if u can keep them.

 

[hotbite]

Hi Flickn Mad.....Thanks for the follow up mate. I did not know there was so many varieties. Yes mate they are good on the chew. I have had the bigger ones up north & they are cracker! Good bait too...Big Bream love them also Mulloway.

[Flickn Mad]

Thanks guys, It never ceases to amaze me what creatures are lurking in the depths( or shallows).