There are several very similar species of Odontodactylus. O. brevirostris from Hawaii and the Pacific, O. latirostris from Indonesia, and O. havanensis from the Caribbean are all very similar. They all live in rock lined u-shaped burrows that they build in pebbly sand, they all reach a maximum size of about 7 cm, and they are all the most interactive, "fun" stomatopods that I know. On the down side, they occur from 20 to 120 feet and are not usually collected for export. All of the ones that I have had, I collected myself. O. brevirostris is common on the western shore of Oahu occuring below 30 ft on coralline aglae slopes. It is a blast to collect. They are so curious that they usually come part way out of their burrows to look at divers (during the morning and late afternoon). On a good day, I can collect about half a dozen on a dive. O. havanensis is fairly common off the Florida Keys, but you will have to dive more deeply which cuts down collection time. Using NITROX which gives us around 25 minutes at 110 feet, I can get three or four on a dive. They are actually easier to catch if spotted since they tend to dig burrows in loose sediments and you can more easily poke them out of their burrow. Most animals maintain more than one burrow, so if you find a burrow with no animal, look around within a couple of meters and you will probably find the animal. Dive at the base of steep slopes on extensive sandy plains that have some rubble and soft corals. You won't find them if the bottom is nothing but mud or sand. Most dive-boat operators can probably point you in the right direction. Just make sure that you stay our of preserves and don't get caught up in the excitement of the chase. It is really easy to stay to long and push your safety limits.
Roy
