Mantis ID

[reefshadow]

Hey, all-

I came across this guy for 10 bucks, he is now residing in my 12 gallon nano. Can anyone provide a positive ID? He is a smasher type, no leopard spots on the carapace. Meral spot is kind of a cream colour with violet/pinkish ring . About 3 1/2 inches. G. Viridis?

He is the sole occupant of the nano, I put a few pieces of different size rubble in there, there is also about 3 inches of sand throughout. I haven't really seen much real construction, though I have seen some furious digging. No hole yet, he is just hiding under a large shady overhang. Should I add more rubble? I also put a cup of ARM reactor media in there to give him some different sized pebbles to work with.

I tried to feed a piece of krill on a stick but he just smashes it and doesn't feed. Perhaps it is still too early. How often should I offer food?

Lighting is 2x13 watt PC's; 1 actinic, 1 10k. Too much?

This is my first mantis so I want things to be right for him. I'm not adverse to providing a larger habitat if that is appropriate. 20 long?

Thanks

 

[gemini aquarius(t)]

again N. wennerae lighting is fine and tank should be fine

 

[Gonodactylus]

No, it is a female Gonodactylus chiragra.

Roy

 

[Hutton]

I agree with roy, pink tells it all

 

[reefshadow]

OK, G. Chiragra then, very nice. And a she, too.

I see from your site that this is one of the largest Gonodactylus, so the 12 is not going to be appropriate long term? I was thinking a 20 long down the road, or should I go bigger?

You have a great site BTW, thanks for the help.

 

[deboM3]

It also says on Roy's List that the tank size should be from 5-10gal i beleive. Your 12 should be fine.

 

[yiliyang]

That is good to know, I have one that is almost exactly like that, it has the pink spots on the tail, but mine is a bit less green then yours.

Mine is about 4" in length. Very secluded, it hides under my pump in the refugium and rarely comes out.

Yili

 

[Gonodactylus]

Ten - 12 gal. is probably the minimum for an adult G. chiragra. One concern is that G.c are, for their size, extremely powerful. I have had adults try to dig in the corner of a standard 10 gal glass tank, repeatedly strike the bottom edge trying to remove an "obstruction" and chip the glass creating a leak. While rare, with this species it can happen. The thicker glass of a larger tank would prevent this or if you want to play it safe, you can lay strips of acrylic around the bottom edges of the tank. They don't have to come up the sides, just protect the edges. (If starting from scratch, a heavy inside bead of silicone will also do the trick.)

I want to stress that this is an ultra-conservative approach and is necessary only for the very largest G. c. Also, this is one species where the males seem just a tad more powerful for their size than females. (There are some slight allometric differences.)

Roy

 

[reefshadow]

Thanks again, Dr. Roy-

I'll let her be in the 12 for now, but will probably switch to a 10 or 20 due to the built in overflow and return all along the back of the 12 she's in now (the space is narrow).

She is an aggressive little bugger though, doesn't like me peering in all the time and will sit up in order to be ready to smash me, following me intently with her eyes.

Is it normal for a mantis to recline on its back? She often sits back like this but seems perfectly comfy. It reminds me of someone laying back in a deck chair. She'll "groom" herself in that position as well. 'least that's what it looks like.

It was obvious she had been digging in the night but she seems comfortable out in the open alot too, mostly hanging out on the sand under an overhang.

Anyhow, this is by far the most intelligent seeming invert i've ever had, I love watching her.

Any other tips are appreciated!

 

[Pea-brain]

coming out is rare for chiragra. Generally they rarely leave their cavities at all except to hunt. And yes, they do seem very intelligent. I often find myself just watching my mantis and it does something seemingly random like make a huge pile in one spot. Then, about a week later I realize that the pile helps it get around easier or something. Amazing animals. It seems to me that we don't give them much credit in problem solving skills sometimes. They seem to plan,and can figure out things pretty fast. Thatsitting up thing sounds like a meral spread. It's a threat display.