Raoulserenea hieroglyphica

[Gonodactylus]

This is the largest Raoulserenea hieroglyphica I have ever seen - over 90 mm!
It came from Cebu.
Roy

[re_sjo]

Nice pic Roy. Look like some seriously long spears!

[Moort82]

Very cool.

[nikesb4l]

wow thats awesome!

[rekn]

i love the color pattern.


any chance we can get a pick of something next to it for reference to show its size?

[Gonodactylus]

I just got this animal. If it survives, more pictures will be coming. It is nearly 4 inches long.

Roy

[hikarishadow]

It's very beautiful. I can't wait to see more of it! Good luck with him, Dr. Roy!

[rekn]

I just got this animal. If it survives, more pictures will be coming. It is nearly 4 inches long.

Roy

awesome, thanks for the conversion too lol.

[MantisO_o]

Beautiful :)

[scallops]

Hi Dr. Caldwell,

I was wondering if you could check my key steps for a live specimen from Oahu, Hawaii. I suspect either Raoulserenea hieroglyphica, R. komaii or possibly your R. pygmaea.

I'm using an Australian key I found online here:
"Records of the Australian Museum, Supplement 26 (2001)
http://www.scribd.com/doc/40709160/Stomatopods-Mantis-Shrimps#page=113

my steps are as follows:
1 (telson with 3 carinae either side of median carina) > 2 > 2b Raoulserenea (carapace with pair of large dark, circular patches) > 1 b (no anterior spine on rostral plate??) > 3 > 3b R. hieroglyphica

I also tried the key in Caldwell & Manning (2000) in Zoosystema with largely the same conclusion (R. pygmaea less likely ?)

If you'll see the 2 attached photos, it's difficult to determine if there's a spine on the rostral plate, although I don't think there is. Total body length of about 3 to 3.5 cm. Collected from about 90 m depth. Unsure of the substrate. Unfortunately, that's all I know (not my critter; I'm asking for a friend). Please forgive my crude knowledge of crustaceans.

Any input on the ID and any aquarium care tips or advice would be greatly appreciated!


Dave
Doctoral Candidate
Department of Biology
University of Hawaii at Manoa

[scallops]

PS: any room/funding for a post-doc in your lab within the next year or so?

[MantisO_o]

wow, Beautiful :)

[Gonodactylus]

Definitely not R. pygmaea. It is either R. Komaii or R. hieroglyphica. The key character is the median apical spinule on the rostrum.

How was it collected and from what type of substrate? I usually get R. hieroglyphica from live coral and R. komaii from rubble. Also, R. h seems to occur a bit deeper - at least in Moorea.

If I had to guess without seeing it up close, I would say R. komaii based mostly on the fact that this is the only Raoulserenea from the Marquesas. This specimen should definitely end up in a museum collection since to my knowledge no Raoulserenea has been reported from Hawaii.

Roy

[MantisO_o]

fascinating!

[Kharn]

I got hunters out for Raoulserena luckily they are one of the easier to distinguish species with the eye spots and all along with the common mottle/snake skin coloration.

I hope to get one soon xD