194 MARINE FISHERIES OF NORTH CAROLINA 



chium sp., a fresh-water shrimp taken in Louisiana; Xiphopenaeus kroyeri, 

 a small, marine shrimp; Penaeus setiferus, the common commercial shrimp, 

 and Penaeus brasiliensis, the grooved shrimp. Since 1933, P. brasiliensis has 

 been shown by Burkenroad (1939) to be actually three species: P. brasili- 

 ensis, P. aztecus, and P. duorarum. All but mac hro brae Mum are members 

 of the family Penaeidae and, together with certain other genera belonging to 

 the same family but of incidental importance, constitute the shrimp catch 

 of the South Atlantic and Gulf regions. 



Mac hro brae hium does not enter the fishery in North Carolina. The occur- 

 rence of Xiphopenaeus, and Sicyonia, another peneid, are incidental. The 

 species of Penaeus are the only shrimps of commercial importance. All of 

 these have been recorded from North Carolina, but the possibility exists that 

 the single specimen of P, brasiliensis recorded from off Cape Hatteras (Bur- 

 kenroad, 1939) was a stray, this species being rare if existing at all in this 

 State. 



Penaeus setiferus (Linnaeus), the common commercial shrimp of the 

 South Atlantic and Gulf regions, occurs in North Carolina as far north as 

 Cape Hatteras. It is taken in all shrimping areas of the State, but is most 

 abundant in the region of the Cape Fear estuary. Females with maturing eggs 

 are taken in the spring. Following an early summer slump, P. setiferus fur- 

 nishes the bulk of the fall catch in the outside fishery. Penaeus aztecus (Ives) 

 (restricted) has been the most abundant shrimp in North Carolina in recent 

 years. It furnishes a large summer fishery in Pamlico Sound and the other 

 inside waters of the State. P. aztecus appears in late spring and disappears 

 in the fall before P. setiferus. Penaeus duorarum (Burkenroad) occurs in lo- 

 cal abundance in the early spring, especially in Core and Back sounds, where 

 it is taken in channel nets almost to the exclusion of other species (see 

 above). Following a disappearance during the summer months P. duorarum 

 is again encountered in the fall at about the time of the disappearance of 

 P. aztecus. Small specimens of this shrimp are frequently taken by oyster- 

 men during the winter months (see below). Fishing trawlers operating off- 

 shore in the vicinity of Cape Hatteras and Cape Lookout frequently take 

 large specimens of P. duorarum, but rarely in quantity. Penaeus brasiliensis 

 (Latreille) (restricted) has been identified but once from North Carolina 

 waters. 



The various species of Penaeus may be distinguished from one another in 

 the field, although positive identification requires examination by a special- 

 ist. Burkenroad (1934, 1939) has divided the genus into two divisions. 

 Shrimp of Division I lack grooves on the head (extended adrostral carinae, 

 post ocular crest present). P. setiferus, the only local species of Division I, 

 is therefore readily recognizable by the lack of grooves on the head. This 

 shrimp, known locally as the white shrimp, is whitish opaque to translucent 



