ID on possible G.falcatus?

[maxxII]

Hi,
I went through Dr Roys website on Mantis ID and am still not sure if I do in fact have a G.falcatus. I found it in a piece of coral at the LFS. Its reallllllllllly small, no idea how I say it, but I did, and they didnt want it in their display, so they gave it to me.

This little critter is less than an inch long and maybe 2-3 mm in width at best. I took pics prior to placing it in the tank, but I dont have a macro lense, so they are far from good. I'm just hoping they are good enough for an ID.


Life size...(or real close to it)

Best close up possible....

In "The Modern Coral Reef Aquarium, Vol 3", pg 227, there is a picture that appears to be the same as my new mantis. The book lists it as a female G.mutatus, (middle pic), but I'm unable to locate any images of this species.

Any thoughts or information regarding this little guy?

Nick

 

[maxxII]

Hmmm.....more searching indicates G.mutatus is in fact now labeled G. falcatus....

Is this a correct ID?

Nick

 

[Gonodactylus]

It is not in the genus Gonodactylaceus. More likely it is Gonodactylellus - probably G. affinis.

Roy

 

[Timmy]

I don't think that this little guy ist a Gonodactylaceus falcatus, because i can't find five mid-dorsal carinae on the telson.

I think this little guy is a Gonodactylellus sp.

EDIT:
LOL, Roy was faster.

 

[maxxII]

Ahh, thanks for the info. I did not notice the eyes being as white as the pictures here showed.....

He/she is holed up in a little rock with two exits. There are a couple of small snails and a tiny micro hermit in the tank with him as well as a small chalk bass. The chalk bass is too small to eat the mantis, but two big to be a potential meal in the event this guy got brave. I did feed it a little just now, some brine shrimp plus and mysis soaked in selcon....used a piece of airline tubing to squirt it towards the hole he's occupying, I'm pretty sure he scarfed it down.

BTW, is this guy just about full grown? According to the website, 7-35 mm is size these guys get, with 25 mm being average....so thats just about an inch in over all length. Is this correct?

Thanks for the info about this shrimp.

Nick

 

[Gonodactylus]

Eye color is somewhat variable. What is more informative is that they are a bit pointed. I rarely see them more than 27 mm. They feed typically on small items from the water column and very, very small crustaceans.

Roy

 

[maxxII]

Whats the life span on this species? I read from some of your earlier posts on WWM that you've kept several species for many years and had kept track of a pair of G.falcatus in Hawaii for something like 12 years...

Nick