Pretty G. platysoma

[Gonodactylus]

One of the most colorful stomatopods is Gonodactylus platysoma, a reef flat animal common in the tropical Indo-Pacific. Particularly unusual are the species specific orange spots on the fifth abdominal segments. All G platysoma have them regardles of the background color. I photographed this juvenile on Lizard Island last week.

Roy

[Kharn]

Ooo very nice :D I hope to find other species like this one soon :) always room in the Ultimate Multi Mantis Kingdom for more crew members :D.

Kind of reminds me a little of a G.chiragra except swap the light green/yellows for Pinks!

[Gonodactylus]

They are closely related to G. chiragra and both are species that live on exposed reef flats.

If you walk GBR reef flats at low tide (really low, no wind), you can collect dozens of stomatopods in an hour. Order of abundance is: G. smithii, G. falcatus, P. ciliata, G. platysoma, H. glyptocercus, G. chiragra.

Roy

[Kharn]

They are closely related to G. chiragra and both are species that live on exposed reef flats.

If you walk GBR reef flats at low tide (really low, no wind), you can collect dozens of stomatopods in an hour. Order of abundance is: G. smithii, G. falcatus, P. ciliata, G. platysoma, H. glyptocercus, G. chiragra.

Roy

GBR isn't a walking distance for me :D...having said that I know of other exposed reefy rock pools that I want to go and gander at have you ever been to the Sunshine Coast and searched for stomatopods there ?

[Gonodactylus]

Mostly we collect on the northwest side of Stradbroke Island. Lots of G. graphurus, P. ciliata, O. scyllarus and a few G. smithii. If you dive, it is a great place for O. latirostris as well.

Roy

[Kharn]

Mostly we collect on the northwest side of Stradbroke Island. Lots of G. graphurus, P. ciliata, O. scyllarus and a few G. smithii. If you dive, it is a great place for O. latirostris as well.

Roy

Too easy =)...thanks for the heads up :D.

[Gonodactylus]

Do you have any contacts with local shrimp trawlers? They sometimes pull in Odontodactylus cultrifer and O. japonicus, two of the biggest prizes in stomatopod collecting.

ROy

[Kharn]

Do you have any contacts with local shrimp trawlers? They sometimes pull in Odontodactylus cultrifer and O. japonicus, two of the biggest prizes in stomatopod collecting.

ROy

I haven't contacted trawlers as of yet however I did get my L.colemani that way about a year ago, however I found it for sale in an ad in the trading post (along with the other squillids), the man said he caught them on the trawler and knew they were "mantis" and that people kept them as pets, so he kept them and made the ad. I got super lucky there I know that...

I been meaning to find trawlers and ask them, they wouldn't know or care if they hit gold...