Mantis Lost a Smasher!

[Kirin1]

My mantis Jefe, an N. Wennerae, has lost one of his Raptoral Appendages. I have no idea how this happened, he had it after the last moult, and one day I look into the tank to see a one-armed bandit lookin back.

I recall reading that mantises are able to regenerate lost limbs over several moults. Is this true, and does it hold for the raptoral appendages as well as legs and feelers and such?

Anyone have an opinion as to how long it'll take him to get it back? He's currently about 2" long and moults about every 5 weeks or so.

 

[Pea-brain]

He will probably completely regenerate it in 4 moults. By the 2nd or 3rd moult it should be useable, but small and weak.

Dan

 

[Gonodactylus]

It generally takes three molts to regain some function and four to get it back to full size. If the animal had last both raptorial appendages, it would accelerate the molting process, but missing only one it will molt pretty much on schedule.

Why this happens is a mystery. Sometimes they just break during use and the only way to repair the damage is for the animal to rip off the appendage and start over. Also, if the dactyl heel wears through, the appendage must be removed to successufly molt. Metabolic assaults such as low oxygen, salinity extremes, high or low temperature, organic solvents, poisions such as high ammonia or nitrite can also destroy the raptorial appendage muscles and again, the appendage must be removed to regenerate a new one.

Stomatopods do not have the ability to autotomize the appendage the way a crab or crayfish does. They literally grab the appendage with the other maxillipeds and twist it off. Another possible cause is injury during an attack. If the N. w stabs a fish or other fairly large opponent, the dactyl can become stuck and the appendage ripped off during the struggle to pull free.

Some species such as O. scyllarus are particularly prone to appendage lost. N. wennerae are not, but it happens.

Roy

 

[Kirin1]

Wow, Thanks Dr Roy! Didn't think I'd hear from the man himself. Your Stomatopod page is where I made the tentative species ID.

Here's links to a few pics (sorry they're not the best), do you agree with my ID? This guy was a hitchhiker on some Florida Aquacultured LR that came into an LFS.
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j301/Keiran1/HPIM0533.jpg
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j301/Keiran1/MantisCrop.jpg
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j301/Keiran1/HPIM0509.jpg

 

[Gonodactylus]

Sorry, I just can tell from the photo. 99% of the animals coming out of LR from Florida are N. wennerae, but we do see an occasional N. oerstedii, N. torus and N. curacaoensis. All are color polymorphic, so you have to rely on key morphological and species specific color traits to id them.

Roy

 

[Kirin1]

Gotcha, thanks for the feedback!