Stock Lists/ species ID?

[ck1]

I am not sure if anyone here will know that answer or not- but thought I would give it a try.

It seems as though one of the biggest obstacles to getting a mantis shrimp is that they are not often species identified on the wholesaler lists- so if a retailer orders one- they won't have any idea what they are actually getting until it arrives- and even then it will probably involve taking photos to get it properly ID'd. So the retailer has no way of guaranteeing that the mantis they get in stock will be suitable for what the customer is looking for- and if it is not- they will be "stuck" with a critter that requires special considerations that not just any typical reefer is gonna buy.

One of my friends has an account with a wholesaler for his aquatic business- and let me know that they appear on the lists as "mantis, small", "mantis, xlarge" ,etc. So clearly there is no way of knowing what you are gonna get- even if you order "mantis, small" it certainly doesn't guarantee that you are going to get a nano suitable mantis.

Are there certain mantis that typically appear on these lists as unidentified? But then I guess it depends on what area they got their shipment from. How frustrating!!!
Has anyone here every just taken the plunge and ordered a couple to find out what they were- and then kept what they wanted and sold what they did not want?
I have to be honest with you- that wholesale prices are pretty cheap compared to what an identified mantis with shipping goes for!

I got my first g. smithii a couple of days ago- and don't regret the expense at all- but I am already eyeing up our 12 gallon nano that I planned to take down after everything is transferred to my newly cycled 20 gallon. I am already thinking that would make another nice tank for another nano-suitable mantis.

Anyone have any experience here with stock lists? The stock lists that I have been looking at are from a wholesaler in Michigan.

 

[Pea-brain]

NO experience, but I would immagine that you might be able to contact the wholesaler and ask for info like color or whatever. The only way that might help is with a yellow P. ciliata though. But your average mantis 3" and under is usually gonna be nano suitable. Most gonodactylids don't get much bigger than 3" and most large ones (ex. peacocks, hemisquilla) are rare under 4". I'd say go for it and hope you don't get a G. chiragra

Dan

 

[Gonodactylus]

I constructed Roy's List in the hope that wholesalers would use it to identify the species they were getting. I have also contacted many of the major importers offering to identify animals for them. The response has been less than enthusiastic. I have yet to have a wholesaler contact me and ask for an ID.

I have ordered various generic stomatopods to see what is out there. Generally, the small species are what one would find on a reef flat in Indonesia. Typical species include Pseudosquilla ciliata, Gonodactylus smithii, G. chiragra, Gonodactylaceus glabrous, and Haptosquilla stoliura.

Roy

 

[Gangsta Nemo]

It is sad but true. Most exporters are more intrested in the sales of fish and corals. Stomatopods are still considered a niche sp. of invert and are not collected as specimen but as species in whole.
For example a Lfs store places a order for a mantis shrimp bc that is how it is listed on a livestock list. That order is sent to the wholesaler who informs the exporter. The exporter collects whatever is a mantis (unless it is specified in his own list to the wholesaler.) Peacocks the exception bc all the exporters can see the diff. easily. But when it comes to stomatopods in general they simply are not of enough value to the wholesaler to invest in . Hence the brown XL mantis that is two inches long. In short most lfs stores have to go through channels. Even if the store can tell their wholesaler the sp. it wants to aquire ,there is no guarantee that the exporter will have a clue to what the wholesaler is talking about except mantis assorted. The only way to get what your looking for is an exporter, wholesaler or LFS that cares to know what they are selling. Until exporters raise an eyebrow to the growing needs of mantis heads it will be up to the consumer to find exactly what sp. they are looking for be it through forums ,retailers ,who dig and etc. Thats why forums of this nature help the growing demand for stomatopods. The hobby is shared ,sold and traded here through many mantis heads,accidental aquisitions and many who just want to know.
If the public's demand is great then the demand will be met.