Roy's List is here! Identification and care of stomatopods.

[amber2461]

Thank you for the excellent paper, job well done !

[batguano]

Hey Doc,
When I was conversing with you yesterday, I didn't realize what a celebrity you were. Gonodactylus caldwelli, very impressive! I am placing you in my pantheon of marine gods. Thanks again for your patient answers to my neophyte questions yesterday.
Yours, Batguano (aka James Saladino, self-proclaimed marine biologist and lawyer)

[Flusher]

I love Roy's list.

Maybe I overlooked it, but is there info about the expected longevity of each mantis, or about how lighting will affect each mantis? I know some mantis' get shell rot or else change colour depending on the lighting. I figure this is good info to add, since the list is "Stomatopods for the Aquarium."

Putting both metric and imperial values would also be pretty cool.

[Gonodactylus]

I'm currently on the Great Barrier Reef chasing stomatopods. I have very limited email, so there isn't much I can do to modify the list. Bottom line with respect to longevity is that we have good data for only a few species. Most gonodactyloids live 4 - 7 years. Hemisquilla less - probably 4 or 5. Squillids about 3-4. Lysiosquillina up to 20. The best data we have are for Neogonodactylus which live 5 - 7.

I did try to provide lighting information based on depth. Species such as Neogonodactylus wennerae and G. affinis go pink or red below 10 m (blue light) and green shallower ( broad spectrum). Species such as Odontodactylus change little with depth.

As for metric, there are lots of good conversion programs on the web.

Back to pod catching.

Roy

[JmLee]

Hello Dr.Roy. I have a question. I was wondering how common do you see shell disease in juvenile odontodactlyus scyllarus?, lets say around the size of 4 inchs. Ive read " on roys list i believe " that Large males are prone to Shell disease. Thanks for your time. and ejoy your time in the great barrier reef!. I visited Melbourne/Victoria one time. It was the greatest time of my life.
One more thing sorry i forgot. I read your mantis care and rearing page, and you recommended Supplementing Selco. What kind of product is selco?. Thanks again.

[Gonodactylus]

I have certainly seen shell disease in small O. s both in the lab and in the field. Because smaller O.s. molt fairly frequently, they are more likely to keep ahead of it, but if conditions are not optimal and/or molting is slowed, it can be lethal.

I don't try to push any particular product, but we have used Selco for several years as a supplement. It has a lot of fatty acids and vitamins. I sure that many other feeding supplements will work just as well.

Roy

[JmLee]

Thanks Dr Roy for taking the time to reply.

[ReefGeekster]

Originally posted by JmLee
I read your mantis care and rearing page, and you recommended Supplementing Selco. What kind of product is selco?. Thanks again.

I'm thinking it's Selcon http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Produc...9&N=2004+22763

[JmLee]

thats what i thought too reefgeekster

[travisurfer]

First of all, thanks for the great list and information. For the list, I noticed that tank sizes appeared to be in liters or is this referring to long style tanks in gallons. Also are wennerae and affini the only ones to really change due to lighting in the aquarium. Thanks.

[Gonodactylus]

Tank sizes are in liters.

Color change with lighting and background color and pattern is common in many stomatopods - particularly gonodactyloids. It is most dramatic in a few species that occur over a wide depth range from the intertidal to > 30 m. Probably the most dramatic change in color and pattern is in Pseudosquilla ciliata, but Neogonodactylus wennerae and Gonodactylellus affinis also show dramatic shifts.

Roy

[travisurfer]

Ok, thanks again.

[DivaMan]

I like tim, and I think i would like a rainbow mantis

[DivaMan]

I like tim, and I think i would like a rainbow mantis

[dwhit0102]

Dr Roy,

I was gone one week for Camp and my friend was taking care of my tank, since I would take care of his while he was gone, he would do the same for me. We both had gotten rid of our large tanks because of a bad waterchange which killed almost everything in both of ours. The 5.5g mantis tank he was taking care of looked great but there was no sign of Manti and neither one of us knows where he went. I believe so far that my stone crab that he had been fighting and winning got the best of him. The problem is I found nothing left of Manti.

Is there something I'm missing?

[Gonodactylus]

Stone crabs are capable of eating all remains, particularly if the animal molted. However, extreme secretive behavior for a couple of weeks is common with animals that molt. Give it another week to make sure that he isn't hold up molting. One other possibility is that the animal made it into some of your plumbing. More than once I have had animals crawl into one of the water lines.

Roy

[ReefGeekster]

Originally posted by dwhit0102
Is there something I'm missing?

Your Mantis

[dwhit0102]

Really crud I knew I missed something

[danskim]

I was wondering if you could grace us with pictures of the stomatopod tanks you have in your lab/office.

[Gonodactylus]

Not much to see except for a lot of plastic containers and algae ridden tanks. They aren't pretty, but they keep the stomatopods alive.

Roy

[i_HAPPY_ru]

Kudo's Roy! They are all very interesting....but I have yet to identify the very shy Mantis I have. I have 1 8lb LR with more holes in it than swiss cheese, and so far in 1 mo time, I have discovered a Gorilla Crab (caught and put in the refugium) 1 unidentified crab (tan spotted black hairy with 1 claw bigger than the other) and in the hole next to it...has moved once, lives a cute little Cuttlefish and it dines on fresh clam from the tip of a skewer! The Mantis I have seen 3 times now. It is dark blue top and light blue bottom with bright orange eyes...scared the livin daylights outta me upon first sight, it also has a blue claw with a white tip and clicks loud enough to wake me up. Length is about 3 in. and 1/4 inch wide. All are HAPPY campers in a 26 gl Nano!

[i_HAPPY_ru]

P.S. Peacock is my best guess

[MadAboutCichlids]

mods plz erased this post, meant to post on other thread

[Ms. K]

Originally posted by i_HAPPY_ru
It is dark blue top and light blue bottom with bright orange eyes...scared the livin daylights outta me upon first sight, it also has a blue claw with a white tip and clicks loud enough to wake me up. Length is about 3 in. and 1/4 inch wide. All are HAPPY campers in a 26 gl Nano!

Are you sure it's not a pistol shrimp?

[CadetMKultra]

Originally posted by Gonodactylus
I'm currently on the Great Barrier Reef chasing stomatopods. I have very limited email, so there isn't much I can do to modify the list. Bottom line with respect to longevity is that we have good data for only a few species. Most gonodactyloids live 4 - 7 years. Hemisquilla less - probably 4 or 5. Squillids about 3-4. Lysiosquillina up to 20. The best data we have are for Neogonodactylus which live 5 - 7.

I did try to provide lighting information based on depth. Species such as Neogonodactylus wennerae and G. affinis go pink or red below 10 m (blue light) and green shallower ( broad spectrum). Species such as Odontodactylus change little with depth.

As for metric, there are lots of good conversion programs on the web.

Back to pod catching.

Roy

My plan is still to build a nice setup for a Squilla Empusa and try to capture another when I come back from being at sea this summer. Does this mean that they are only likely to live for 3-4 years, and if so, how old are they when they get big. The one that I caught before aw about six inches long, and I wonder if he as almost as old as they get? What do you know about them? I know we're not on your coast really, so if you want me to get you some, I'd gladly give it a whack. They really have some great colors. They look like they're all beige, but they really have great subtle blues, greens and purples. Gorgeous.

-nls