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vass69
10/21/2009, 07:38 PM
First time poster!

I finally got my mantis, i pretty sure i know its a peacock but please tell me i'm right!?! I apologize early for the horrible pictures, blackberrys aren't ment to be cameras.

http://img14.imageshack.us/img14/2648/img00374p.jpg (http://img14.imageshack.us/i/img00374p.jpg/)

http://img28.imageshack.us/img28/2585/img00375.jpg (http://img28.imageshack.us/i/img00375.jpg/)


Great site guys!
vass69
10/21/2009, 08:09 PM
after doing a little reasearch im beginning to believe its a purple spotted mantis or a Gonodactylus smithii
Koshmar
10/21/2009, 08:16 PM
Welcome! Is this your first mantis?

+1 on a smithii, I'm horrible at IDing but I know for certain that is no peacock. In the second picture it looks like the meral spot is akin to a smithii. Good news is that everyone wants a smithii and the command high prices as a result. You may have gotten a great deal there.
vass69
10/21/2009, 08:39 PM
Thank you. Yes it is my first mantis. I currently have a 75 gallon reef tank, and now the 15 gallon mantis tank.. Yes my LFS told me it was a peacock but never really looked at it too hard. From what i can tell its a G. smithii, and I paid $40 for it. Ill try and get some better pics if I can sometime.
lionbacker54
10/22/2009, 06:05 AM
+1 on the smithii. if so, you got a steal. smithii are selling for $99.00, plus another $40 for shipping, on stomatopod.com.
barnabus's gimp
10/22/2009, 10:03 AM
dang I got my smithii and a viridis for 15 dollars at mystic reef in riverside.
vass69
10/22/2009, 01:54 PM
yeah dude not to bad on the price.. he/she has already dug out there den and ate a emerld crab..

anyone have any special tips that would be helpful?
Koshmar
10/22/2009, 02:31 PM
Many people here have kept a smithii, Lionbacker has had his for like a year I believe. I haven't kept a smithii so I can't offer any specifications on behavior or anything.
gozermantis
10/22/2009, 02:45 PM
i picked up a smithii yesterday for $30 uber steal they didnt know what they had
vass69
10/22/2009, 03:05 PM
@gozermantis -- im in the same boat, they thought it was a peacock

What is the life expentancy of a smithii? Mines about 3ish inches..
barnabus's gimp
10/22/2009, 04:00 PM
wait are smithiis supposed to be more expensive than a peacock? crazy.
leshnign
10/22/2009, 05:29 PM
Nice find vass69...I have a G.Smithii coming tomorrow from stomatopod.com $69+sh. I don't mind paying a little extra cause I've been trying to get one for a while now. Good luck with yours!
vass69
10/22/2009, 06:30 PM
@leshnigh - Thanks! Good luck with yours too man! Mine is a blast to watch, hes a crazy little guy and its been a full day now and he is very very active.


What is the life expentancy of a smithii?
vass69
10/22/2009, 08:10 PM
http://img34.imageshack.us/img34/8606/img00380q.jpg (http://img34.imageshack.us/i/img00380q.jpg/)
vass69
10/23/2009, 04:49 PM
Does anyone know what the life exptency is?
Koshmar
10/24/2009, 11:55 PM
Since you don't know the age of the smithii now, knowing the lifespan would not be helpful in estimating how long your mantis will live. If you want to know just out of curiosity, I would think Dr. Caldwell would be the one to answer. I remember N. wennerae live for around 5 years so I would assume a smithii may live around that lifespan.
vass69
10/25/2009, 09:02 PM
interesting, thanks for the help thou