Black tiger shrimp [Penaeus monodon (Fabricius, 1798)] is one of the largest and most economically important shrimps in the world. P. monodon farming in the Philippines started in the 1980s and production reached its peak in the early 1990s when the Philippines became the top P. monodon producer in the world. Females can reach 33 cm long and weigh 200-320 g; males are slightly smaller at 20-25 cm long and weigh 100-170 g. The carapaceand abdomen are transversely banded with alternative black and white. They are found in brackish, estuarine and marine environments at depths from 0 to 110 m inhabiting bottom mud and sand. They are widely distributed from the east coast of Africa to the south Pacific. According to molecular data, Southeast Asian populations of P. monodon have the highest genetic diversity.

"A publication of the College of Agriculture University of the Philippines Los Baños."