Egad!

[Gonodactylus]

I've been away for a few days (eating my fill of Squilla mantis in Italy) and lost track of this story. When I got back I had an email from the chap who photographed the L. scabracauda. He said that the animal was not measured and that it wasn't 18 inches. The animal was released.

I did some more checking on what was the largest stomatopod ever collected and measured. I was pretty sure that it was a Lysiosquillina maculata at just under 40 cm. I can't find any L. maculata larger and no other species comes close. I have a preserved L. maculata in my collection that is a large male from Hawaii measuring 37cm. That is the largest stomatopod that I have ever seen although in the British Museum they have a collection of war clubs and spears, many set with L. maculata dactyls and while I didn't measure them, a couple looked to me like they could have been from a male even larger than 40 cm.

Roy

 

[Kharn]

I'm interested in the bathysquilloides there is a record of a 394mm B.crassispinosa match that with the fact that they live in an environment very well known as a hot spot for 'gigantism'....

 

[Fartin'Gary]

I've been away for a few days (eating my fill of Squilla mantis in Italy) and lost track of this story. When I got back I had an email from the chap who photographed the L. scabracauda. He said that the animal was not measured and that it wasn't 18 inches. The animal was released.

I did some more checking on what was the largest stomatopod ever collected and measured. I was pretty sure that it was a Lysiosquillina maculata at just under 40 cm. I can't find any L. maculata larger and no other species comes close. I have a preserved L. maculata in my collection that is a large male from Hawaii measuring 37cm. That is the largest stomatopod that I have ever seen although in the British Museum they have a collection of war clubs and spears, many set with L. maculata dactyls and while I didn't measure them, a couple looked to me like they could have been from a male even larger than 40 cm.

Roy

Dr.Roy,

Can I ask where you go to eat? We just moved to Naples and I have yet to taste them. :lol2:

 

[Gonodactylus]

I usually order canocchie when I'm in Venice in the fall, but I was on the Amalfi coast last week and had some in Positano. I didn't eat in Naples, but they should be on the menu of seafood restaurants in the next month or two.

Roy

 

[Fartin'Gary]

I usually order canocchie when I'm in Venice in the fall, but I was on the Amalfi coast last week and had some in Positano. I didn't eat in Naples, but they should be on the menu of seafood restaurants in the next month or two.

Roy

Great thanks. We will have cars by October 2nd so some trips to Sorrento and farther down the coast will happen. I'd ask you what's your favorite restaurant but I have not had a bad meal here yet and that would be hard enough to answer just based on the muscles I had the other day.

Cheers,

Mike