Manits ID

[Mr. X]

Im not sure of its id.. I think its Squilla Empusa.

I caught it on the western coast of India..

 

[DanInSD]

Sure looks like that or a related species. I thought S. empusa was a temperate species. I am assuming that India is tropical?

Dan

 

[MantisO_o]

Very nice!

 

[Gonodactylus]

All I can tell you is that it is in the family Squillidae. There are a couple of dozen species on the west coast of India.

Roy

 

[Mr. X]

Thanks for the input..

I'm still looking for peacock mantis, 3 years and still counting.. Hopefully will get one soon..Till then this one should do..

 

[Gonodactylus]

If you have a polarizing filter for a camera or a pair of polaroid sunglasses, could you do me a favor and look at this animal to see if the light, mother of pearl looking spots at the base of the carapace and on the sides or the abdomen are polarized. As you rotate the polaroid, the color of the spots should change - probably white to red. A few other squilloids that I've seen have these display patches. Thanks.

Roy

 

[Koshmar]

Rotating planes of polarized light makes me think of optical rotation makes me think of enantiomers. Whatever is the cause of the pigmentation, is it made up of one enantiomer of a specific compound and incorporated into those spots or am I waaaaay off? It would make for an interesting organic chemistry research paper I think!

 

[Gonodactylus]

Close, but a bit more complex. The compound is probably astaxanthin. That is the pigment in Odontodactylids.

Roy