Lost my O.S. today... Age estimate?

[RogueCorps]

Hi Dr. Roy and RC,

I lost my O.S. today who was named "Mini-Winnie" after my wife (for the whole "mean when hungry" characteristic). I purchased her from 6th Ave. Aquarium in SF in September 2001 when she was about 3 inches long, and today she measures about 6 inches.

She's lived in a 15 gallon Jebo glass tank, and fed mostly pieces of tiger prawn, and occasional clams, mussels and crawdads. She's always seemed pretty healthy and active until about 4-5 months ago when her left eye went dark and seemed inactive. Today after work I found her lying on her side at the front of the tank. I'm assuming it's due to old age or possibly a molting complication.

I'm just wondering if her age was unusual at all to live captive for almost 6 years, added to the time to go from plankton to 3"?

Thanks for any info.

I have to say, she'll really be missed. What an awesome animal to have. From hunting prowess to knowing who feeds her, to intracate den building... so much fun.

Happy hunting mean little stomatopod...

-Rod

 

[Gonodactylus]

Rod,

Thanks for the information. Five years in captivity is a very long time for an O. scyllarus and is definitely above average. We have no good estimates from the field on longevity in O.s. I've tried to estimate it from growth and frequency of molt on newly captured animals, but that is just a ball park figure - plus we don't know how temperature figures in. My previous estimates have been around 6-9 years. The one major variable that I can't determine is whether molting frequency slows down as the animal gets older and larger or not. In most cavity living gonodactyloids, growth rate slows as the animals get larger. This makes since because they live in cavities in hard substrates that are not easily enlarged and that become increasingly scarce. Resources are put into reproduction. Burrowers, on the other hand, like squilloids, lysiosquilloids and Hemisquilla can easily enlarge their burrows and continue to put resources into growth. (Note that there is a traide-off here in that larger females can produce more eggs so it is not always clear which strategy produces a greater return.). O.s is a burrower and I would predict that they continue to molt and grow at a higher rate than for cavity livers. If I am wrong, then O.s could live even longer.

The black eye is a fungus disease that occasionally affects old O.s. It is common in Hemisquilla. It often leaves to molt problems and eventurally death.

All in all, you O.s seems to have done exceedingly well - particularly in the small tank. Hope you find another stomatopod that brings you as much satisfaction.

Roy

 

[Thurge]

Sorry to hear about your loss.

 

[supateddy]

Sorry to hear about your mantis.

 

[RogueCorps]

Thanks very much for the information and kind words. I'll probably plan out a larger system, and get it set up and cycled, so that I'll be ready when I come across another nice Stomatopod.

-Rod

 

[inwall75]

Sorry to hear that Rod