Are there any Mantis in NE waters?

[Ken2001]

I'm just curious about the distribution of mantises. Are there any off of New England? I dive up here in the summer, and while I usually see lots of interesting animals (skeleton shrimp, squid, seals, dog sharks, anemones, urchins, skates, flounder, stripers, etc.), I've never seen any critters that even faintly resemble a mantis. Is this because they don't exist around here, or am I just not looking in the right place? Also, what about the North Carolina coast (I'll be moving there soon).

Thanks,

Ken

 

[Gonodactylus]

THere are actually about a dozen species recorded from near New York, but only one, Squilla empusa, is common. It occurs all the way to Maine. There are reports of S. empusa larvae being so numerous that they clogged the water intake of a power plant. I have not collected them further north than off Woods Hole, but my guess would be that they may show up in traps and pots occasionally.

Roy

 

[crafty_50mitchell]

Here's a quick article about squilla empusa in the chesapeak bay, posted on the "chesapeak bay program". I can tell you that my sister graduated college in maryland and when I was up there for that there was much talk about the mantis shrimp in the northeastern waters.
Brian

 

[crafty_50mitchell]

whoops sorry forgot about the link completely here it is:

http://www.chesapeakebay.net/index.cfm

if that doesnt work, just go to: www.chesapeakbay.net, then click on crabs/shrimp on the left hand menu, then on mantis shrimp under that menu. Sorry for some reason the link isent posting.
good luck
Brian

 

[Ken2001]

Brian & Roy,

Thanks for the link. It doesn't sound like I'm too likely to see these while I'm diving, and even less likely to catch one if I did, but it would be nice to have one - though I guess with the Squilla, I'd have to have a mud tank rather than rocks to keep them.

I've asked the local lobstermen, in the past, whether they've ever run across a mantis in their traps, but the few I've talked to say they've never seen one. Of course, since the holes in the netting of the traps are pretty wide, it'd be easy for a mantis to slip out as it was being hauled up.

Thanks again for the info.

Ken