It appears that most if not all Lysiosquillidae are monogamous as are many lysiosquilloids. I currently have two pair of L. maculata that have been together for years. Our field data suggests that pairs may persist in the wild for 20 years or more.
However, there is a problem. While adult pairs live in u-shaped burrows with the male doing most of the hunting, sub-adults (or at least pre-reproductive animals) live singly in simple vertical tubes. They will not tolerated an intruder of either sex. Unfortunately, we don't know how pairs form, i.e. if males search for females or females for males and we have only a rough idea at what size this occurs. From catching dozens of animals from burrows and determining if they were single or paired, it appears that L. maculata pair at around 6-7 inches. It might occur a bit sooner, but I just don't know. I have seen larger females that had been paired accept fairly small males. However, putting two 5 inch animals together could be a risk. If you get a change to try, I would like to know the outcome.
Roy
