O cultrifer

[rudyistaken]

Here are some more pics

http://s168.photobucket.com/albums/u198/rudykane/

As far as the tank I won't even tell you what he is in now as I will get flamed but he is going in a 54 corner bow.

 

[Pea-brain]

So, I forsee some probles here. 1# shell disease. This is a big mntis, and probly won't molt often. A very real threat. #2 burrow requirements. This species has yet to be studied alive and may be very hard to meet its burrow requirments in captivity. I would keep the lighting very low. Probly requires colder water also. How active is it? does it seem active enough to be worthy of giving it a 55 gallon with no corals and no heater?

 

[rudyistaken]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9607572#post9607572 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Pea-brain
So, I forsee some probles here. 1# shell disease. This is a big mntis, and probly won't molt often. A very real threat. #2 burrow requirements. This species has yet to be studied alive and may be very hard to meet its burrow requirments in captivity. I would keep the lighting very low. Probly requires colder water also. How active is it? does it seem active enough to be worthy of giving it a 55 gallon with no corals and no heater?

Without question. It is very active and very personable.

 

[mattyice]

exactly which is why he should ship it to me lol, actually its still got another 8" to grow lol, so its still pretty tiny, so a 55 will be needed, i recommend feeding some very very very healthy food to this creature, im talking about fish kept in a QT gutloaded with the best of food, snails kept in a calcium rich enviroment gut loaded with algae sheets, shrimp gutloaded with spectrum pellets, water quality at a maximum, i would do everything in your power to give this creatue a very good enviroment, i would only put an actinic bulb over the tank with it coming from deep water, no heater, no corals, 55G minimum with a animal that gets to be this large, i would actually go acrylic just incase it does get pretty mad

 

[Gonodactylus]

I have looked at the photos and this is almost certainly O. japonicus (or and undescribed species). Without having the animal in hand, that is as far as I can go. I must admit that when I first saw it, I questioned whether it might be an albino O. s. However, the blue on the posterior side of the antennal scales argue against this.

If you can, get a look at the inside edge of the raptorial dactyl. In O.s, there are two or three short barbs. In O. japonicus, there are 6-8. If the animal opens the dactyl slightly, you should be able to see these.

The other diagnostic character is the posterior lateral edge of the 5th addominal segment (posterior corner). In O. s and O. hawaiiensis, their is a short spine pointing backward. In O. j the edge is smooth. To identify the fifth segment, count backward from the first addominal segment which is the first segment withoug a pair of walking legs and the first with gills. The telson connects to the sixth abdominal segment which give rise to the uropods.



Roy