Finally got a decent pic of our mantis

[supateddy]

We were finally able to get a decent pic of our mantis (someone is a little camera shy.) We were able to coax her (I think), out enough to get a picture. (Please ignore the aiptasia in the background. Hard to keep peppermints alive long enough to do any good .)

If anyone can hazard a guess at an ID, we'd appreciate it.

Scott

 

[Supernaturalist]

I'm certainly no expert but based on coloration I'd guess a G. Smithii, if so you've been very lucky these guys are highly sought after!

 

[supateddy]

I'm not sure that it is a smithii, the meral spots are more of a watermelon color, the clubs are white, and I haven't seen any red inter-segmental lines. Right now the mantis is only about 2", possibly 2 1/2" in length, so maybe it just hasn't got the adult coloring. If it is a Smithii, I agree that it was extremely good fortune, this one came in on live rock.

 

[supateddy]

I guess it might help to mention that we have LR from Florida, as well as (supposedly) Fiji. The Fiji rock was from an LFS, so it is hard to know for sure.

 

[gholland]

Not G. smithii... looks like N. oerstedii.

 

[sm51498]

My mantis looks an awful lot like this one, I have been having trouble identifying it. With mine I would characterize his meral spot as red. This one looks similar.

 

[gharner]

yup its a neogonodactylus oerstedii. i have one to. theyre found commonly in the carribean. their meral spots are red-purplish colored with a white ring around it. nice lookin mantis. i also have an oerstedii that i got about 2 weeks ago. its still shy but its gettin better.

 

[dbarker]

My guy eats out of my hand so to speak. He will take food off the dropper, retreat to his den and come back out for more!!

I can tap on the glass gently twice and he will stick his head out to see if it is dinner time!!

Debbie

 

[supateddy]

Our mantis has also learned that the big funny looking things outside the glass bring food. For about the first month, the mantis was very reclusive, and would hardly come out of her burrow, but after that, she decided the tank was officially hers, and rearranged it to her liking. Now she is all over the place.

We are moving her to a 29 gallon tank with sump/fuge today to make maintaining water parameters a little easier. We will try to get better pics of the mantis during the move.

 

[supateddy]

Today was moving day for the mantis. Got some pictures during the move (apologies for the poor quality, camera sucks).

And finally, the new home for the mantis.