1 kinds · tap one for a closer look
Territorial and will eat small fish and shrimp.
This one is best kept on its own, or with its own kind.
Territorial and will eat small fish and shrimp.
Meaty foods and sinking pellets.
Tap a food to see what it is.
Common problems. Tap one to see the signs. This is a guide, not a diagnosis.
Amphidromous - larvae need brackish water ·
Brackish larvae; seldom bred at home.
One male with 2-3 females.
Brackish larval tank.
Gravid female.
Hundreds of eggs.
Larvae need brackish water and live food.
A Macrobrachium (long-armed prawn) from hill streams of northeast India and northern Myanmar. Be careful with the name: the 'whisker shrimp' sold in the trade is usually Macrobrachium lanchesteri or other Macrobrachium.
This Macrobrachium was described from north-east India in 1958 and is named after Assam. It entered the hobby as a hardy 'whisker' or long-arm shrimp and is valued because it can be bred in fresh water.
First described by Tiwari in 1958. Named for Named after the Indian state of Assam.
4 facts checked with sources
Invertebrate (freshwater prawn, Caridea). Valid name. Authority per WoRMS is (Tiwari, 1955), originally in Palaemon; Wikipedia's '1958' disagrees with WoRMS. Tiwari also described a subspecies (M. assamense assamense is the nominate form). TRADE NAME WARNING: 'whisker shrimp' in the hobby usually means Macrobrachium lanchesteri (or mixed juvenile Macrobrachium), so animals sold under this name may not be M. assamense.
WoRMS / DecaNet (2026): Macrobrachium assamense (AphiaID 587105, REST record) · Wikipedia: Macrobrachium assamense (cites WoRMS)New value.
WoRMS / DecaNet (2026): Macrobrachium assamense (AphiaID 587105, REST record)New value. Quotes are OCR text with original spelling errors ('assamensis', 'adjacoit'). University thesis, 1991; a peer-reviewed range account was not found.
Paul, A.L. (1991) PhD thesis, North-Eastern Hill University, Shillong: Distribution, ecology and biology of freshwater prawns (Macrobrachium spp.) of the North Eastern Region (OCR text)Legacy says it is 'often sold as a whisker shrimp'; the hobby source ties that name to M. lanchesteri instead. 'Medium-sized' and 'good scavenger' unsourced. Consider whether this entry should be retitled or merged.
Aquarium Breeder: Whisker shrimp detailed guide (established hobby reference) · Paul, A.L. (1991) PhD thesis, North-Eastern Hill University, Shillong: Distribution, ecology and biology of freshwater prawns (Macrobrachium spp.) of the North Eastern Region (OCR text)