mantis tails are sharp

[Alex]

I just hand fed my 5 inch clown mantis. He does not have clubs he droped them a month ago.

I like to make him fight with me a little so he works for his food. He brought his tail up and stabed my finger with it. It is just a little cut but I never had him do this before. I guess its a second defense any thoughts.

Alex

 

[Gonodactylus]

The uropod spines on most species are very sharp. Of all the wounds I have gotten from stomatopods, by far the worst was a slice from a large (36 cm) Lysiosquillina maculata. I was measuring it and a friend asked me to hold it up for a picture. It whipped around its tail, a spine went in at the base of the nail of my index finger and slice the finger to the bone ending at the second knuckle. Lots of blood, lots of pain, lots of stitches. If a stomatopod is grabbed by a fish, the uropods probably form a better defense than the raptorial appendages.

Roy

 

[Alex]

Thats very interesting I never knew it was another defensive weapon. I have see species that have uropod spines erected in pictures. Is that just how this species lives or can all mantis do this?

Alex

 

[Gonodactylus]

Alex,

They can only move the uropod spines in and out. In a coiled posture, the spines are very effective locking the animal into its burrow or cavity.

When an animal is grabbed around the middle, they flex the abdomen, spread the uropods and quickly bring the tail forward up to the head. If you understand what I'm trying to describe, you can see how anything holding them will be stabbed by the spines. Squillids and Lysiosquillids are much nastier in this way, but gonodactylids can do it as well.

Roy

 

[Alex]

I see what you are saying.


I found the picture it is a Echinosquilla guerini. It has erect spines on the tail. Are there lots of species like this or is this?

Alex

 

[Gonodactylus]

There are many species with spines on the telson, but usually they are relatively short, almost like velcro. Echinosquilla is the most extreme, but the spines are actually rather soft. This is a species that mimicks Echinometra, a sea urchin that normally lives in pits or holes on the reef. The stomatopod sets with the telson in the entrance of its worm-tube burrow looking for all the world like a sea urchin. If something tries to dive into the hole, it jack-knifes and catches the prey. It is one of the few stomatopods that I know than regularly preys on other stomatopods. I have found them eating Odontodactylus brevirostris.

Roy

 

[Alex]

wow that is really interesting. Thanks for the info

Alex