Peacock mantis shrimp
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| Peacock mantis shrimp | ||||||||||||||||
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| Odontodactylus scyllarus (Linnaeus, 1758) |
The peacock mantis shrimp, Odontodactylus scyllarus, also known as the harlequin mantis shrimp or painted mantis shrimp is a large mantis shrimp native to the Indo-Pacific from Guam to East Africa.
[edit] Description
O. scyllarus is one of the larger, more colorful mantis shrimps commonly seen, ranging in size from 3 cm to 18 cm. They are primarily green in color, with orange legs and leopard-like spots on the anterior carapace.
They are burrowers, constructing U-shaped holes in the loose substrate near the bases of coral reefs in water ranging from 3 m to 40 m deep.
This mantis shrimp is a smasher, with club shaped raptorial appendages. An active hunter, it prefers gastropods, crustaceans, and bivalves, and will repeatedly smash its prey until it can gain access to the soft tissue for consumption.
[edit] In aquaria
Peacocks are popular with aquarists for their bright colors and active behavior, but are definitely not reef safe, as they will eat most other tank occupants. Additionally, large specimens are capable of breaking very thick aquarium glass. It is for these reasons that they are often kept as solitary creatures in acrylic tanks.
Though they are burrowers in the wild, these animals will readily accept a suitably sized length of PVC pipe as a surrogate lair.
They are active, intelligent, curious animals, capable of interacting with their keepers.
[edit] References
- Roy Caldwell. Roy's List of Stomatopods for the Aquarium. Retrieved on 2006-07-18.
