Mantis that changes colour?

[rottn]

Has anybody ever heard of ANY type of mantis that can actually change it's appearance (colour)?

A friend of mine has a mantis that had always been a bright red colour with purple eyes. Now, apparently, she has changed to a green colour.

He apparently moved the mantis into a new home (from a 15g to a 10g), but with the exact same 5 pieces of LR that were in her old tank.

Can a mantis change colour to camoflauge themselves?

It was suggested that maybe this is a completely different mantis that is just showing up, but he is sure it is the same one, as she interacts with him same as she always had before (knows him as the source of food).

Anyways, he is really puzzled, and I am curious too, so just wondered if anybody here might have any insight?

Thanks!

 

[Fcamdog]

P. ciliata can change their color. They do it to match their surroundings. That may be the mantis your friend has. I had one that was hardly noticable after about 2 months from when I collected it. They change colors when they molt.

 

[Gonodactylus]

Various species have this ability. P. ciliata is probably the most dramatic, but Neogonodactylus wennerae which frequently shows up in live rock from Florida also does this. The most common change is for females to go from red to green. It usually takes a month or two and involves at least one molt. In this case, it is not just background that they are responding to. Most of these animals come from 30 feet or more where there is little or no red light. At that depth, a red animal will be rather dark. Nearer the surface, there is a lot broader spectrum of light and a lot more green algae. It seems to be a combination of the broad spectrum and green background that triggers the change to green or brown.

A close relative of N. wennerae, N. bredini, lives only very shallow, usually intertidally. It also can change color to match background. It is usually bright green in Thalassia beds and brown mottled on sandy substrates. The same is true of N. oerstedii.

What these stomatopods cannot do is dramatically change color without molting or do it quickly.

Roy

 

[rottn]

Thank you very much for the info. I will pass it along.