My wife and I found a mantis in our main tank, and were able to catch it (eventually). We've decided to keep him after reading the Adventures of Tim. We'd like to get an ID, but have been unable to get a picture as he doesn't like to come out of his rock. Right now he is a reddish-brown color, and has white-ringed red meral spots. He is a smasher, as he has repeatedly smacked the feeding straw. We'll keep trying for a pic. Thanks in advance.
Mantis ID, sorry, no pic yet
- Thread starter supateddy
- Start date
Gonodactylus
Premium Member
Try to supply the location from which the LR was obtained and the size of the animal. A red meral spot is unusual for a gonodactylid. I can think of only four species that have a red or dark pink meral spot.
Neogonodactylus austrinus, Caribbean, watermelon red
Neogonodactylus festae, West coast of central America, deep pink
Neogonodactylus zacae, West coast of Central AMerica, rose pink
Gonodactylellus rubragutatus, Indonesia, Australia, carmin red
Roy
Neogonodactylus austrinus, Caribbean, watermelon red
Neogonodactylus festae, West coast of central America, deep pink
Neogonodactylus zacae, West coast of Central AMerica, rose pink
Gonodactylellus rubragutatus, Indonesia, Australia, carmin red
Roy
Gonodactylus
Premium Member
G. rubragutatous is not known from as far east as Fiji, although it is a fairly rare species that lives at depths greater than 20 meters and might not be collected by LR harvesters. N. austrinus is more likely. The red meral spots are really bright in this species.
Roy
Roy
They were very bright, just not very big. It took a few minutes of baiting him with shrimp to see them. I have been unable to find much information on them, as far as care and environment, so we are simply trying to maintain water parameters and provide him frozen shrimp, smaller hermits, and snails.
Dr. Roy,
I've still not been able to locate any information on the species you have listed. I have been trying to find info on N. austrinus, but cannot even confirm that he is a smasher, or what kind of habitat he/she will need. Is there some place to get this information?
Scott
I've still not been able to locate any information on the species you have listed. I have been trying to find info on N. austrinus, but cannot even confirm that he is a smasher, or what kind of habitat he/she will need. Is there some place to get this information?
Scott
Gonodactylus
Premium Member
All members of the genus Neogonodactylus austrinus are smashers and occur in the Western Hemisphere. I have collected it from the Atlantic coast of Panama at Galeta and Bocus del Toro. It is reported from scattered locations throughout the Caribbean. We typically find it on the reef crest living in cavities underneath encrusting algal mats. It like a lot of water movement and is not quite as temperature and salinity tolerant as N. oerstedii or N. bredini. Diet is mostly small crustaceans and gastropods.
I would not rate this as a particularly robust species, but I have kept them in the lab for months. Body color is usually green or dark purplish.
Roy
I would not rate this as a particularly robust species, but I have kept them in the lab for months. Body color is usually green or dark purplish.
Roy
