Although most are from marine or estuarine habitats, the South American A. paraguayensis is a fresh water species.

[1] Several of its species are important for the production of shrimp paste in Southeast Asia, including A. japonicus, which is the world's most heavily fished species of wild shrimp or prawn in terms of total tonnage[2] and represent the majority of non-human animals killed for food in terms of number of individuals.

[4][5] They are small prawns, 1–4 centimetres (0.39–1.57 in) long, translucent, but with a pair of black eyes, and a number of red spots of pigment on the uropods.

Only a small proportion of the entire catch is sold fresh, with most of it being dried, salted or fermented.

After this, the paste is re-packed, before being left to mature for a month, after which it is mixed and crushed again, and then packed for sale.