i think i got a mantis

[infalible-one]

i got a piece of live rock (fijian) and found 2 small shrimp-like organisms. one died so i got a chance to look at it. it has the tail, eyes and i think the raps of a mantis. it's realy hard to tell. it's about .5" and has a red stripe going down it's body. it's a cloudy white-clear color. does any body have any ideas to what it might be, mantis or otherwise?

 

[DanInSD]

Submit a pic. The eyes are pretty telling!

 

[infalible-one]

my camera is to high res to show up on here. the eyes are black and stick upward from the body. the tail is about 2/3 to 3/4 of the entire length. the antennae seem to long to be from a mantis though. everything else matches and thats why i got the idea it could be one. it reminds me of a Chorisquilla hystrix, but it is one just out of the larval stage(or so it appears)

 

[DanInSD]

You can down-res using just about any photo app; most cameras also have a resolution setting that's adjustable.

 

[d9sccr]

use photobucket.com

 

[justinl]

usually we would say it's probably a pod of some sort but if you say it has the raps of a mantis... well that makes it interesting. Please get a pic up if you can. =)

If you image google "stomatopod larvae" you'll get some pics of mantises throughout their juvenile stages. does yours look similar to any of these?

 

[infalible-one]

it's eyes aren't as erect and it's body isn't as clear (mines kinda milky). also there tails aren't curled up like mine. it has the raps, the tail, and the shape though. I haven't seen it for a while( i just got a N. wennerae in there so i can't move the LR around to look for it). A picture will be very hard. are there any nocturnal species in the fijian area? mine only comes out after all the lights are off. I'm gonna start a new thread when Manny (my N. wennerae) comes out with some pics. I will try my hardest to get a pic of this "mantis" still. anything that doesn't involve disturbing manny's home.