quick ques for dr. roy

[oddball_from_ac]

just wondering if you had any information on ODONTODACTYLUS HAWAIIENSIS (copy and pasted) found a site and showed pics and it looks pretty cool.
just wondering
dylan

[oddball_from_ac]

bump since dr. roy has been on

[Gonodactylus]

This is a deep water species generally found from 100 - 300 m although it was taken a bit shallower at Easter Island. The distribution is a bit strange since it is found in Chile, Easter Island and Hawaii as well as scattered places west of their. I have never seen on alive, but from freshly dredged material, it appears to use polarized siganls like other members of the genus.

Roy

[Uriel]

For Dr. Roy as well...

My G. Viridis is eating snails, ignoring hermits (except to shake them from HIS silversides) and doing OK generally. However, this is hilarious...

Baron von Munchausen launched out and attacked one empty shell repeatedly, whacking at it again and again.

I laughed for 5 minutes, with him whacking and looking at me with a 'What are you laughing at!?!' Stomatopod-expression.

I figure that if he keeps it up, he will at least keep his dactyls in shape.

Dr. Roy, I take it that big empty shells that have somehow offended the Baron are good excersize (like the punching bags that I used ti use when I practiced Thai Boxing) ??

[Gonodactylus]

In one study that I did, gonodactylids preferred snails over hermits in the same type and size of shell. For the same work and risk, there was more meat to be had from a snail rather than a hermit. They seemed to select the shell from a distance by watching the movement pattern.

Gonodactyloids often strike empty shells. This can be either because they are trying to use them for building material or because for some reason they think their is food inside. For example, a shell may look empty but a small amphipod or annelid may be living deep inside. You may not be able to see it, but the stomatopod can probably smell it.

Roy

[Uriel]

Well, I had just boiled these (paranoid about whatever particles might have landed on them while sitting in the LFS). The guy at Nippon said to just boil them for a minute and rinse with saltwater. I suppose a small pod (the ones in my tank are miniscule) might have gotten inside, though the 'shell attack' happened within a few minutes of me putting the shells in.

My real queston, though, was regarding the empty shell as good excersize for his dactyls. BvM had been a renovating monster for a week or so, but he seems to have decided that the LR castle doesn't need any more windows at this point. Coupled with him not hunting down the hermits (I have found 2 snail shells in one corner, though...in the space of 3 days), I was just worried about keeping his smashers in good order.

I am a fussy mantis parent...


-Ron