Whiteleg shrimp

Taxobox
name = Whiteleg shrimp

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image_width = 250px
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Arthropoda
subphylum = Crustacea
classis = Malacostraca
ordo = Decapoda
subordo = Dendrobranchiata
familia = Penaeidae
genus = "Litopenaeus"
species = "L. vannamei"
binomial = "Litopenaeus vannamei"
binomial_authority = (Boone, 1931)
synonyms = "Penaeus vannamei" Boone, 1931

Whiteleg shrimp ("Litopenaeus vannamei", formerly "Penaeus vannamei"), also known as Pacific white shrimp, is a variety of prawn (not shrimp) of the eastern Pacific Ocean commonly caught or farmed for food. It is the major species of farmed shrimp. Whiteleg shrimp are native to the eastern Pacific, from Sonora in Mexico to northern Peru. The main sources of whiteleg shrimp are Ecuador, Mexico and Brazil. Whiteleg shrimp sold in the U.S. market are primarily from Mexico and Ecuador. A small amount of whiteleg shrimp is now farmed in the U.S. (primarily in Texas).

In first world western nations such as Australia, "Litopenaeus vannamei" are sold in supermarkets, these varieties are typically labelled 'Product of China' or Vietnam. Consumers are attracted by the relative low price per Kilo. Consumers find that per kilo, the "Litopenaeus vannamei" retail at roughly half the price of domestically sourced prawnsFact|date=June 2007.

External links

*ITIS|ID=551682|taxon="Litopenaeus vannamei"