HUGE Mantis at FMAS show!

[Kara]

My eyes bugged out of my head :eek1: when I saw this amazing creature! Ok, so I don't have a lot of exposure to Stomatopods in general, but this one is BEAUTIFUL!

It is a spearer (Lysiosquillina sp.?), and about 8" long. It was on display in a 10 gallon tank. When I asked about it, I was told the guy who keeps it has had it for 5 years! WOW!

Just thought you all might like to see it..!

 

[XxAngelzDustxX]

Interesting, thanx for sharing! Although I don't think it's all that pretty compared to some of the others around here, it does look different and for that I give props

Where was it displayed? I see some more tanks in the reflection

Did you manage to get any other pix?

 

[Lunchbucket]

that is AMAZING...they usually aren't colored like that are they.

i think i am soon to have one from a buddy online...like june 7th

that gives me the creeps now...dreaming about it crawling on my and kicking my ***

Lunchbucket

 

[dc]

Oh, I think it looks georgous. 8":eek2: Boy I wouldn't want to stick my hands in that tank.

 

[Gonodactylus]

This animal appears to be a Lysiosquilla. You can distinguish Lysiosquilla from Lysiosquillina by the shape of the antennal scale. In Lysiosquillina, the antennal scale is broad - in Lysiosquilla it is long and thin.

The fact that the rostrum has a center ridge further narrows down the identification. However, at this point I have run out of characters to identify it. My guess - if it is from the Gulf of Mexico - would be L. scabricauda. THis species can get to 10 inches.

From the size and shape of the raptorial appendages, I can tell that it is a male.

Roy

 

[newreefers]

I saw that as well, that is the largest I have seen in a tank. Makes my little 4" guy look so small.

 

[Gonodactylus]

I have a juvenile that I collected last August from the plankton. It lives in a sand burrow in my lab and we pour the food to it. In 9 months it has gone from 2.5 to 11 cm. Adults don't grow very fast, but apparently if you provide food, the juveniles can really go.

Roy

 

[Buzzard]

Check this out; I was searching through some antique prints and came across this one from 1849...

http://www.panteek.com/DOrbignyFS/dfs5.htm

 

[Lunchbucket]

wow they had red x's back then too

Lunchbucket