Sugpo (Plate 1, fig. 1), a kind of shrimp known scientifically as Penaeus monodon Fabricius, is now cultivated on a commercial scale in Philippine estuarine fishponds either together with the bañgos, Chanos chanos (Forskål), or separately by itself. Con¬sidered a table delicacy, sugpo commands the highest price among the shrimps being sold in the local markets. A kilo which generally contains from eight to twelve individual sugpo, measuring from six to ten inches long, costs as much as eight pesos. 2 A hectare of fishpond on the average can produce around three hundred and fifty kilos of sugpo of marketable size after six months of cultivation.
Sugpo is being caught with other shrimps in the open sea by means of trawls operated in connection with powered fishing vessels of over 3 tons gross. The composition of the shrimp catches of these vessels reveals the presence in great quantities of Penaeus indicus Milne-Edwards, P. canaliculatus Olivier, P. affinis Milne-Edwards, P. incisipes Spence-Bate, and P. monodon Fabricius. In this connection it has been noted that in all these catches sugpo is always much less in number compared with the other shrimps.
The rostrum of the sugpo is straight, dorsally elevated into a laterally compressed crest. The rostral formula is 6-7/3, that is, 6 to 7 teeth lined along the upper margin and 3 teeth on the lower edge of the rostrum. The antennular scales reach beyond the eyes and the longer antennular flagellum is shorter than the peduncle.
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