Just wondering If anyone can id my mantis?
- Thread starter Isis
- Start date
Gonodactylus
Premium Member
Isis,
Many species of gonodactylid living at depth greater than 30 feet are red or salmon color. Without knowing where it came from, there is no hope of identifying it. Even with a location, without a photo or at least some key information such as meral spot color, shape of telson, eye color and shape, etc. it is unlikely that the animal could be identified.
Next time you see it, try to see if the color is solid or if it has a lot of white or cream spots. Also, if you see the telson, does it end in two blunt spines or four sharp ones?
Anyway, don't lose heart. As a native Hawkeye, I'm living proof that you don't have to grow up around an ocean to learn a few things about stomaotpods.
Roy
Many species of gonodactylid living at depth greater than 30 feet are red or salmon color. Without knowing where it came from, there is no hope of identifying it. Even with a location, without a photo or at least some key information such as meral spot color, shape of telson, eye color and shape, etc. it is unlikely that the animal could be identified.
Next time you see it, try to see if the color is solid or if it has a lot of white or cream spots. Also, if you see the telson, does it end in two blunt spines or four sharp ones?
Anyway, don't lose heart. As a native Hawkeye, I'm living proof that you don't have to grow up around an ocean to learn a few things about stomaotpods.
Roy
Roy, He's solid, no white spots i can see. he came off a piece of Carribean rock we got from our LFS. he has four spinys on his telson.His eyes are a whitish color that sit high above his head. I really don't know what a meral spot is so I can't tell you anything about that. I saw him out and about today and he didn't know I was there so i got a pretty good look at him.
Gonodactylus
Premium Member
Well, I'm 100% certain that it is in the genus Neogonodactylus, but species identification is tought. My guess is N. wennerae, but it could be N. torus, another species found typically below 30 feet.
Roy
Roy
cool! can you tell me where I can find a pic of those 2? I want to see if it looks like either one. also, how can you tell a boy from a girl? is there a way??? How big to they get??? (I am so happy to have info on him/her finally! thanks!)
I really appreciate your help! Where are you originally from???(since you're a fellow Hawkeye??)
I really appreciate your help! Where are you originally from???(since you're a fellow Hawkeye??)
Gonodactylus
Premium Member
I don't know of any publish color images of either species except a few that have been posted on this cite and which I IDed as N. wennerae.. N. wennerae gets to about 65 mm, N. torus about 40 mm. Sexing males is easy, if you can catch them. Males have a pair of penises that hang down from the inside of the base of the last pair of walking legs. Females have a pair of gonopores on the midline between the first pair of walking legs. This is usually a sort of figure 8 structure and is more difficult to see unless you have a large animal. In N. wennerae, females frequently are rust colored, males more green.
Roy
Roy
CATCH IT!? are you silly!? LOL! I like my fingers how they look now, I wouldn't even TRY and catch my mantis! I've seen what it does to crab shells, I'm not going to try and catch the darn thing. I'll just assume that it is a girl since you said they are usually the rust color and mine is a salmon color. But thanks for the info.
If ya want to come and catch it for me, you're welcome to! LOL!
you never told me where you hail from originally. I live in Clinton.
One more question for ya, do you think a 20gln will be big enough to keep her in for the rest of her life??? Or will I have to move her to a bigger tank?
If ya want to come and catch it for me, you're welcome to! LOL!
you never told me where you hail from originally. I live in Clinton.
One more question for ya, do you think a 20gln will be big enough to keep her in for the rest of her life??? Or will I have to move her to a bigger tank?
Gonodactylus
Premium Member
Isis,
It only hurts for a little while!
It is the "salmon" color that concerns me about identifying this animal. That is typical of an animals that came from considerable depth - > 60 feet.
A 20 gallon will be more than sufficient for this animal. I frequently divide 10 or 15 gal tanks and keep two animals in the 60-80 mm size range in them.
I come from the large metropolis of Bertram - actually a farm about 5 miles from Mt. Vernon where I attended school. I went to the University of Iowa for both my undergraduate and graduate degree. I didn't see an ocean until I was 20.
Roy
It only hurts for a little while!
It is the "salmon" color that concerns me about identifying this animal. That is typical of an animals that came from considerable depth - > 60 feet.
A 20 gallon will be more than sufficient for this animal. I frequently divide 10 or 15 gal tanks and keep two animals in the 60-80 mm size range in them.
I come from the large metropolis of Bertram - actually a farm about 5 miles from Mt. Vernon where I attended school. I went to the University of Iowa for both my undergraduate and graduate degree. I didn't see an ocean until I was 20.
Roy
Is being salmon colored bad? I might be able to get you a pic of her but it'll be a little while. I also don't know how to put it on here so I might need your help with that also. Otherwise I could email you with it and you can see what she looks like from that....whatcha think???
