Mantis watching in the Maldives

[MJI]

Hi all,

I'm heading off to the Maldives soon, and more specifically, Fihalhohi on the south male atoll.

The local dive company's website says that there is an area (reef area that is particularly rocky) where mantis shrimp hide out.

Does anyone know what type of mantis they may be, and give any tips for spotting them?

It's been a while since I've kept mantis, but they still hold a dear fascination with me.

Thanks in advance of any help....

M

 

[MJI]

A friendly bump, maybe even for the good Dr?

 

[HotpotChris]

I dived the Maldives a couple of years ago and did North & South Male and Ari Atol. Excellent diving.

I only spotted a couple of mantis shrimps and these were all peacocks.

Enjoy your trip and safe diving.

Chris

 

[MJI]

Now that would be cool - Peacock huh.....

 

[MJI]

Any tips for watching/finding/locating? etc...

 

[Gonodactylus]

Wow! I just looked at the counter on the sidebar. This is my 3000th post on ReefCentral.


There are three or four species that you are likely to see.

O. scyllarus will be found from 3 - 30 m in areas with some current. The burrows are often on fairly open rubbly bottoms. Look for animals out feeding or looking for mates moving along the base of coral heads. They often move from head to head. With a keen eye, you should also be able to find O. latirostris. The u-shaped burrows are similar to O. scyllarus, but only the diameter of a penny with the two entrances about a foot apart.

On sand flats from the low intertidal to subtidal you should find Lysiosquillina maculata or other Lysiosquillids. During the day the burrows are often closed except for a tiny hole with the eyes and antennules sticking out (very hard to see). Look for a slight depression with a tiny hole in the center. At night they frequently uncap the burrow, so walking or snorkeling on sand flats will usually reveal several large holes about 2-3 inches in diameter with a Lysio male looking out.

During the day at exterme low tide, walk the exposed reef flats when the water is less than three or four inches deep. You should see G. smithii, G viridis and G. platysoma cruising around. There might also be a few P. ciliata. Slightly higher along the beach (but still low tide line), you will see G. chiragra and H. glyptocercus darting in and out of their cavities.

It is difficult to find stomatopods subtidally. Most species remain in their cavities and burrows to avoid fish predation. Look for perfectly round holes in rubble and bench with a pair of eyes looking out.

Good luck.

Roy

 

[MJI]

Hey Roy, thank you for your post, and congrats on your 3000th post!

Quite a list of species there then. If I'm lucky, I'll get to see a few.

Sound like the water shoes I bought will come in useful then - don't want a ciliata or maculata spear sticking out the end of my foot!

If I'm lucky and spot some, and then lucky enough again to get some shots, I'll post them up for all to see

Thanks again, Roy - your good health!