Brown Tiger Prawn

P. esculentus appears to be endemic to Australian waters, being found in warm waters from central New South Wales (near Sydney) to Shark Bay, Western Australia, chiefly at depths of 16–22 metres (52–72 ft). There is little population structure in the species, with only slight differentiation between regions east and west of the Pleistocene land bridge between Australia and New Guinea.

Juvenile P. esculentus live in seagrass beds, and reach sexual maturity at a carapace length of around 32 millimetres (1.3 in). Adults grow up to 155 millimetres (6.1 in) long, and resemble Penaeus monodon, albeit smaller and browner. They live offshore at depths of up to 200 metres (660 ft).

Around 500 tonnes (490 long tons; 550 short tons) of brown tiger prawns are caught each year. Fisheries in Torres Strait are worth around A$24 million per year. It is closely related to Penaeus monodon, with which it can hybridise. It has the potential to be used in aquaculture (shrimp farming) since, although it grows less rapidly than P. monodon, it commands higher prices.