ID of my hitchhiker red mantis?

[ojonas81]

Have had a hitchhiker reddish mantis shrimp in my remote fuge for a while now. Finally got a couple of photos of him although none are really good. He is a good hider. Can anyone ID this guy or do I need to try to get better pictures?

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-fJifOOYLycU/U6DtsnX6aHI/AAAAAAAAC7I/uMcAQXGHD2s/s1024/_MG_3480-Edit.jpg

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-BHu7D-tpJRM/U6Dttqf3x8I/AAAAAAAAC7Q/DKsYgwmGIEM/s1024/_MG_3475-Edit.jpg

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-CG7D7BJ4Zdk/U6Dtugz6wDI/AAAAAAAAC7Y/z_ioYgdz0Hw/s1024/_MG_3479-Edit.jpg

[Islandoftiki]

N. blurryphoto

[Fartin'Gary]

N. blurryphoto

It's not blurry, you can see the glass of the tank in great detail.:lolspin:

[Kharn]

Might be a G.falcatus from your description/photo.

- Notoriously shy.
- Reddish in color.
- Small smasher.

Either way it's just a small smasher that will get to around 90mm long tops these also tend to be very very tough and hardy individuals but there are some exceptions.

[ojonas81]

Thanks! Will see if I can get any better pictures soon. He does come and eat frozen food from my feeding tool.

Need to clean the glass too. The remote fuge does not get s much maintenance as the main tank and my camera auto focuses on the glass instead of on the shrimp.

[Adetia]

Where is the rock from that it hitchhiked on?

[ojonas81]

The rock came from TampaBay Saltwater so I guess from the Gulf of Mexico.

[Adetia]

In that case it's probably a N Wennerae.

http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/arthropoda/crustacea/malacostraca/eumalacostraca/royslist/species.php?name=n_wennerae

[Calappidae]

Looking at the bluish tint of the arms I agree on n. wennerae.

I've taken worse photos :D

[Sailmaven]

I just found a similar specimen in my reef tank. I have had some mysterious fish deaths and disappearances over the last few months. I am wondering if this could be the culprit.

[ojonas81]

Yes, if it is a mantis in your tank he would be a prime suspect in the fish disappearance. Mine is residing in the fuge where I have no fish so I am safe that way.

[ojonas81]

Were able to take much better pictures tonight of the shrimp. He has actually completely changed color from a faded reddish color to a bright green version. Was able to take much better pictures of him than before. I even managed to capture a video of him trying to eat.

Still the same species as before with these new pictures?

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-4y20s6P3jeo/VBuS0ccNdCI/AAAAAAAADSQ/KypqhOoU6Xs/s1024/_MG_4177-Edit.jpg

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-Ai2bn9gui1s/VBuS1e4zjQI/AAAAAAAADSY/J83rv1M9OyM/s1024/_MG_4183-Edit.jpg

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-8gVY_9MSZUM/VBuS2WRFxBI/AAAAAAAADSg/tz5Rbwz6WOw/s1024/_MG_4184-Edit.jpg

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-02_lROm4jqI/VBuS3JlCN2I/AAAAAAAADSo/CcmoZSH3LDM/s1024/_MG_4187-Edit.jpg

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-TeCg1Yp8kxc/VBuS35i8fRI/AAAAAAAADSw/1ajhL55T7Cw/s1024/_MG_4191-Edit.jpg

Finally the movie:

<iframe width="1280" height="720" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/7S9QiWtY3IE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Link (http://youtu.be/7S9QiWtY3IE) for you Tapatalkers.

[Calappidae]

Yep! Neogonodactylus Wennerae

[TJWho5986]

Nice shrimp and nice pictures how many pixels is the camera your using because I'm trying to take some shots/video but iphone is not that clear

[mbauma]

They do change color based on their surroundings. I have 1 from TBS in my 140 who is about 3.5 inches. You can see him in my avatar pic.

[mbauma]

[QUOTE=ojonas81;23110876]Were able to take much better pictures tonight of the shrimp. He has actually completely changed color from a faded reddish color to a bright green version. Was able to take much better pictures of him than before. I even managed to capture a video of him trying to eat.

Still the same species as before with these new pictures?

He is bright green because he is surrounded by bright green. If you put him in your main tank, he will turn brownish again.

[necrio]

Do all Mantis change color to their surroundings? That is so NEAT! More desire for a mantis.

So hard to find for me though.

[Gonodactylus]

No, most species change color only slightly based on surrounding lighting and background conditions. However, some species such as G. affinis and P. ciliata are very responsive to environmental factors and can easily change color and pattern. There are really five factors at work, the spectral and intensity characteristics of the light and background (substrate) and three dimensional color of other material in the system. We can add to this nutrition.

Roy

[mbauma]

My Wennerae was red like yours when I finally saw him, now he is the colors you see in my avatar. He has really pretty green on him too.

[mbauma]

I just found a similar specimen in my reef tank. I have had some mysterious fish deaths and disappearances over the last few months. I am wondering if this could be the culprit.

These guys are more about small snails and crabs than fish. Mine has never even looked at a fish.

[ojonas81]

Nice shrimp and nice pictures how many pixels is the camera your using because I'm trying to take some shots/video but iphone is not that clear

Thanks! It is not so much about the pixels the camera has but the sensor itself, the optics and the person behind the camera (and some pose editing since I shoot in RAW). I am using a Canon 70D that has 21 mega pixels. For these particular shots (and the video) I used the 18-135mm kit lens at 103mm.

[89123reef]

Stunning!