Normal Behavior?

[ReefMagic]

My mantis, almost always visible during the day, has started to put his telson, tail, at the front end of his entrance. he walks around the tank alot, a 72g, and isn't bothered by any of the fish. Except sometimes when the blenny is a bit territorital and gives the mantis a good whack in the face with his tail. Anyway, is it normal for them to block their entrance up with their tails?

[Gonodactylus]

Depends on the species. Haptosquilla often block the entrance with the telson and some Chorisquilla have a telson covered with spines like velcro. The telson becomes covered with algae and other gunk that matches the local substrate. The tail is then kept in the entrance as camoflague. THe most interesting telso block, however, is probably Echinosquilla. The telson looks very much like a small sea urchin that lives in holes. THe stomatopod spends much of its time with the telson in the entrance looking like other urchins on in the rock.

ROy

[ReefMagic]

Weird behavior to me, well to my knowledge, though I havn't seen any, I think he molted because he is now green. and as dr. roy told me he s a small spiny-tailed gonodactyloid. I'll try to get a pic of his new color if I can.