Cloridopsis dubia, the "amazing spearer"

[Gonodactylus]

I just had another thought. There are several Indo-Pacific species of Cloridopsis including on called C. scorpio. Looks like this group has been named sea scorpion for a long time since C. scorpio was named in 1828. All the species live in shallow water, often estuaries.

Roy

 

[speedsport]

I had one of these. The only thing is though it was 7.5in. On your list it says it will only get to 6.14in. I know for a fact that it was the Dubia. It looked exactly like the one in the pic. So is there any reason that this could be?

 

[Gonodactylus]

I list the largest recorded individuals. That does not mean that they cannot be larger. The largest Gonodactylaceus ternatensis in any collection is around 10 cm. I had one that was 12.4 cm. The largest Pseudosquillopsis marmorata reported was about 14 cm. I have one that is 16 cm. Also, there is some subjectivity in how you measure animals. Most biologists measure from the tip of the telson teeth to the tip of the eyes. However, some people include the antennules which adds another centimeter or two.

Humans have been reported to reach a height of over 8 feet. You could sample thousands off the street and never find one that got near that tall. If someone asked you to characterize human height, most of us would give a maximun of 6.5 to 7 feet, but then there is always that exception 4 standard deviations out.

Roy

 

[speedsport]

I measured from the tip of the telson to the tip of the eyes. Itey are a interesting mantis though.

 

[Gonodactylus]

I should have also added that there may be two species, one from the Pacific and one from the Atlantic. Furthermore, they are found living in fairly temporate waters as well as the tropics. Stomatopods for a given species found in cooler water often are larger.

Roy