ID please, finally got my Mantis!

[rachel060186]

Hey guys,

Picking up Bruno today, don't think he's a Scyllarus though which I am somewhat disappointed by, but love him all the same.

http://i845.photobucket.com/albums/ab19/060186rachel/DSCF7223.jpg

http://i845.photobucket.com/albums/ab19/060186rachel/DSCF7222.jpg

http://i845.photobucket.com/albums/ab19/060186rachel/DSCF7219.jpg

Hope you can help.

x

[rachel060186]

I'm thinking a Female G, Chiragra... might need to change the name if you guys agree?

[ritter6788]

Yep, chiragra. I don't know about the male or female though.

[rachel060186]

thanks Ritter,

Wonder if Roy will be able to give me an estimate of the age?? He's only about 1 1/2 inches long.

x

[Gonodactylus]

Young G. chiragra are very slow growing. The animal is at least three years old, probably older.

Roy

[rachel060186]

Wow Roy thats awesome how you can tell that!! Do you know how long they can survive in captivity and whether he is likely to get any bigger?

He's been very busy organising his home, I am praying that he remains so active... although by the sound of things Chiragra's are not normally so.

[Gonodactylus]

In the field they specialize on fairly large snails and hermit crabs and xanthid crabs that they bring back to their cavity and smash. We often see them out foraging at low tide then the water depth keeps predatory fish off of the exposed reef flat. This gives them several minutes (at most a couple of hours) to locate prey and bring it back to the safety of the cavity.

When I think of G. chiragra, I consider them as active foragers because that is how I encounter them on the reef. However, in an aquarium they have a cavity and often the food is either given to them at the cavity entrance or walks by the front door, so their is no need to move around the aquarium. This translates into the appearance of a reclusive animal. Also, probably because they use such a powerful strike to allow them to specialize on large, difficult to break prey, the molting process is longer than in most other stomatopods. Large adults will remain closed in the cavity for two or even three weeks regaining their strength before venturing out to look for food.

I estimate age from having reared the m in the lab - not a very reliable source of information, the the best we have. G. chiragra is one of the few species that I have reared from the egg. Hatching takes three weeks, the larvae are with the mother for another week and then 4 weeks in the plankton until the settle as 8-9 mm postlarvae. The reach 20 mm took a year. Females begin to reproduce at around 50 mm and continue until maximum size of around 85 mm. Larger individuals are known, but they are very rare. Maximum age is only a guess, but based on demographics from collection of field animals and keeping them in the lab, I would say they live at least 8 -10 years.

Large individuals in the aquarium do occasionally develop shell disease and also have difficulty molting. It is rare that someone keeps a large (> 70 mm) animal more than a couple of years. Small animals do better. Hope this helps.

Roy

[rachel060186]

Thanks once again Roy for the brilliant information. So grateful for the advice you give.. you make this hobby so much more interesting for me (and no doubt for a lot of people on here), it is brilliant to have solid facts about your animal rather than just having to guess everything

xx