My O.Scyllarus

[technoshaman]

Playing with my new camera and my mantis was awake I tried to get a picture of her. Usually she never charges the glass for the past few months but when the camera was autofocusing she charged and I managed to snap this pic of her heading towards me.

 

[WaGuy82]

That's such a pretty mantis. Did you buy it separately or was it a pleasant surprise in your live rock?

 

[Gonodactylus]

How long have you had this animal. It is regenerating its raptorial appendages which means that it lost them 2 - 4 months ago.

 

[Python73]

Correct me if I'm wrong GonoD, but OS mantis are tunnel builers and do not live in rock. Which is why they aren't found as hitchhikers.

S !

 

[Gonodactylus]

Correct. They typically build a u-shaped burrow. A 5 inch animal would have a burrow about 30 inches long and a foot deep. Also, they are less tolerant of temperature and salinity extremes and can't remain out of water as long as many gonodactylids, so even if they were in live rock, it is unlikely that they could survive the trip.

Roy

 

[technoshaman]

Peacock Mantis

Peacock Mantis

How long have you had this animal. It is regenerating its raptorial appendages which means that it lost them 2 - 4 months ago.

Dr. Caldwell, I have had her/him about 3 months now. After much looking a local store owner got one for me and when I went to buy it discovered it missing the right arm (dactyl ?) totally and the upper portion of the left. Otherwise appearing healthy and alert I bought it and have been trying to give it the best of care and after molting approximately 3 or 4 weeks ago the appendages reappeared.

Not sure if they were lost in collection or in the wild but I am hoping in the next few molts they will be back to normal. Any way to tell the sex of O.Scyllarus? Mine had a rose color or maybe a reddish brown originally but after the molt looks much more greenish but not the spectacular green I've seen on some male specimens. I took your advice and have a small piece of dark schedule 80PVC in the substrate it uses as it's lair and it has piled rocks, plants and shells around and inside of it. The uprooting and moving of marine algae around the tank was fascinating to see it seem to use some thought in camoflauging it's lair.

 

[Gonodactylus]

Large males tend to have the bright emerald green body; females a more olive or even brown color. There is little difference in the coloration of the various appenages. The easiest way to tell the sex for sure is to look for the gonopods (copulatory organs) of males. They are a pair of tube about a third the length of the leg that hand down from the inside base of the last pair of walking legs. Females have a pair of gonopores into which the gonopods are inserted. These are on the mid-line between the first pair of walking legs, but they are more difficult to see unless the animal turns over or rears up against the glass.

Roy