Crustaceans: Introduced Species
Scientific name: Macrobrachium lar
Common name(s): Tahitian prawn
Status: Introduced
Habitat: Tahitian prawns like shaded pools and sheltered parts of the stream.
Preferred Area of Stream: Deep pools
Range in Hawai‘i: Common on all Hawaiian Islands
Diet: They eat almost anything, ranging from algae and plant matter to fish and snails, and harm native stream species through predation
Predators: Very few except ‘auku‘u (black-crowned night-herons)
Fact: The Tahitian prawn has a life cycle similar to the native. When it was released on Moloka‘i and O‘ahu as a food crop, its babies traveled to other islands. They probably compete with native species for food.
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