What type of mantis did I catch?

[rdmpe]

I'm setting up a nano and caught this hitchiker mantis.

Can anyone ID it? I'm wondering if it will stay this bland or if it is a juvinile that will be more colorful when it matures. Any ideas on that?

[/B]

 

[Gonodactylus]

Do you know where the rock was from? At first guess I thought Gonodactylellus - but it just doesn't look right. There are are couple of dwarf Neogonodactylus that it could be as well as two or three Gonodactylellus. It is almost certainly a pygmy species and will not grow much larger, but I will need more information to make and id. I assume the meral spots are pale white?

Roy

 

[rdmpe]

Not sure, got the rock from another reefer who was breaking down a fowlr tank full of mixed rock.

I don't know what meral spots are, will have to look that one up...

 

[Gonodactylus]

Meral spots are the saddle shaped depressions on the top inside of the largest segment of the striking appendages. In many species, they have a colored spot in the middle. This is always a species specific characteristic. Unfortunately, many of the small species just have a white or clear center.

Take a look at Roy's List under G. smithii or G. glabrous. There you can see meral spots that are purple or orange.

Roy