Found a Mantis...species ID?

[shrimpnreefdude]

Could someone help me identify the species from these pics?

Well, I took in some live rock via someone that had to dismantle a tank due to a leak. These are Salty Bottom Reef rocks. Last week, I was able to find and remove 2 gorilla crabs. At that time, I was able to see I had a shrimp of some type. I was only able to get a quick glimpse so I never got a pic to confirm ID. Today it was up front right inside a little cove in one of the rocks. Looks like I have a Mantis shrimp now.

Now what?! What should I do? This is a new setup with plans of having a reef tank with fish and a variety of inverts.

What is the likelihood this will murder most of anything I introduce to this tank?

If I am able to catch it safely, would it thrive in a Fluval Evo 13.5gal by itself? I don't know how big this guy will get. I am guessing, but it is roughly 1.5" long.

I was able to feed it today. It gladly took a few frozen mysis shrimp.

 

[ryanjohn1]

Peacock mantis

 

[Reefer_kano]

+1

 

[ryanjohn1]

Judging by the colors. And yeah it will kill fish. I however think they are super cool. If you can get it out and into that tank it would be fine till you re home it or set up something a bit bigger for it

 

[shrimpnreefdude]

Judging by the colors. And yeah it will kill fish. I however think they are super cool. If you can get it out and into that tank it would be fine till you re home it or set up something a bit bigger for it

Thanks for the ID. That helps me get more educated specifically for its needs. Without even doing any research yet, what size tank would it need if I can keep it alive into adulthood?

 

[ryanjohn1]

Big as you can really. Probably 40 gallons

 

[shrimpnreefdude]

Big as you can really. Probably 40 gallons

Oof So this little guy is definitely a juvenile then, correct? Looks like I'll have to think about getting another tank started.

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

Some good info on the species (and on mantis shrimp generally):

o_scyllarus

 

[shrimpnreefdude]

Some good info on the species (and on mantis shrimp generally):

o_scyllarus

I was literally just checking out that page and bookmarked before coming here to see your reply notification. Haaa haa. Thanks for sharing the link. Glad I'll have it archived here as well.

My daughter has named him Neptune. He is currently in my 50gal tank that I recently started. A bunch of hitchhikers survived the ordeal actually. I have some tough decisions to make. My plan was to have a nice colorful reed tank with a bunch of inverts and some fish.

Should I just let him stay and make this his home and whatever gets introduced will have to survive? Will target feeding him keep his murderous tendency at bay?

Will it eat large trochus snails?

I cannot imagine at this size that it will kill fast moving fish, except they're literally have one of the fastest moving hunting methods on the planet. Such a cool freaking conundrum I find myself in. Haaa haaa.

I'll be scouring the forum to get acquainted with other mantis keepers.

 

[Stomatopods17]

That's not a peacock..
It's N. wennerae. You can vaguely glimpse the white meral with black outline around it:

N. wennerae won't get very big, at most pink length, and are pretty hardy.

n_wennerae

____

O. scyllarus (Peacock) doesn't have a single trait shared with this one other than being a mantis. To ID O. scyllarus they have a combination of:

Round eyes with bright blue stalks:

O. scyllarus:

N. wennerae or pretty much anything Neogonodactylus, Gonodactylus, etc:

The Peacock Tail

This literally never changes. The pitch black centers with fluorescent blue outlining and deep red setae surrounding it is unique and where they get their name.

You'll notice on N. wennarae and other closer species the tails are nothing alike, they do have color morphs, but not a single one outside of Odontodactylus is close in shape.

Leopard spots on the thorax

The black patches on the sides of the thorax can vary in quantity but they're the leading trait biologist use to ID O. scyllarus, most species have stary patterns, lines, or are completely bare of anything, but O. scyllarus has its leopard spots similar to the shimmer of the water.

Antennal scales with different color shades on each side and a dark spot at the end

From a front view they are green and from a top view they are yellow:

this is another constant and most species are instead see through, are the same color on both sides, completely different pattern, or color polymorphic and change based on environment (N. wennerae is a mix of see through, color polymorphic, and has no distinguished pattern).

The probability of ever finding one as a hitchhiker:

Another tip is if you obtained the mantis as a hitchhiker, you can safely write off completely that its an O. scyllarus. Unless your rock is from gaum, indonesia, or East Africa, they're not typically where our live rock comes from and the species constructs U-shaped burrows out of rubble, typically in rock you'd probably never collect, would fall apart because its a bunch of little pieces, or hidden underneath the rock where the substrate is.

____

N. wennerae is a great species though, easily second to none as the best beginner smasher, I'd actually go smaller than a fluval 13 personally as they're a cute little desktop species that will spend most of its time in a cavity in a rock. They close up at night with sand/fine rubble particles being a day time species (rare for inverts to be diurnal). They're hardy enough to handle the inconsistencies and difficulties of smaller tanks, and they stay too small leaving a lot of empty space even in a 10 gallon, Fluval 2 gallon is well enough for this species if you're confident in maintaining tanks that small, otherwise fluval 5 gallon is a good inbetween. Just lay a sheet of acrylic/pexiglass on the bottom panel of the tank, and avoid keep it in anything plastic, you'd be surprised what these guys can break out of but once they settle in a rock they won't do much else. Have a cover for the top as they can hop out, I used to have to play cat and mouse with one in my sump that would compartment jump.

 

[shrimpnreefdude]

That's not a peacock..
It's N. wennerae. You can vaguely glimpse the white meral with black outline around it:

N. wennerae won't get very big, at most pink length, and are pretty hardy.

n_wennerae

That's awesome information! Thank you so much for the confident identification and links. I was looking again through my pics, and I agree the tail is nothing like a peacock. I could not find an ID besides that though.

N. wennerae is a great species though, easily second to none as the best beginner smasher, I'd actually go smaller than a fluval 13 personally as they're a cute little desktop species that will spend most of its time in a cavity in a rock.

More great info! Thank you. What if I decide to let it stay in the 50?! I imagine he would be too small for the bigger cuc I plan on adding. Would he go after cleaner shrimp or other similar inverts?

 

[Hadla]

You beat me to it, stomatopods17 lol, not even close to peacock but a very pretty wennerae!! And yeah I’d do a 10 just cause I don’t like going smaller than that haha

 

[OrchidMiss]

@StatelineReefer

 

[shrimpnreefdude]

You beat me to it, stomatopods17 lol, not even close to peacock but a very pretty wennerae!! And yeah I’d do a 10 just cause I don’t like going smaller than that haha

I'm so happy they responded. I wasn't quite convinced. I am now so stoked to have an ID. Curious Hadla if you think it would be ok to keep it in the 50? I almost feel compelled to let him have it after all he's survived to get to this point. Human emotions are a fickle thing...

My plan was to create a rubble tunnel and hide it underneath the existing front rock structures in the hopes he'll use it and slowly become acclimated to us being in the room. The fact I was able to get those pics without spooking it, was an amazing experience.

Or is being in something this size just a bad idea?

 

[kevgib67]

@OrchidMiss , what size tank is your little murder bug in?

 

[Stomatopods17]

It'd be tricky to find it in a 50.

Keep in mind it won't get much bigger than a peppermint shrimp, and majority of its time will be peeping its eyes out of a hole. They're not pet rocks, but when they're stationary they're mostly fully hidden.

I actually recommend giving it a singular large piece of a rock with tons of texture, letting it bore a cavity into it, and then rotating the rock to face a better viewing position, it likely will never change homes, it may venture out during some hours but unless you're constantly sitting next to it (such as a desktop nano)and get to catch those moments you'll be staring contest and not much else which IMO a 50 gal would get insanely boring for, you may even get tempted to submerge a large plastic bottle with ventilation holes and stock the tank around it.

 

[shrimpnreefdude]

It'd be tricky to find it in a 50.

Keep in mind it won't get much bigger than a peppermint shrimp, and majority of its time will be peeping its eyes out of a hole. They're not pet rocks, but when they're stationary they're mostly fully hidden.

I actually recommend giving it a singular large piece of a rock with tons of texture, letting it bore a cavity into it, and then rotating the rock to face a better viewing position, it likely will never change homes, it may venture out during some hours but unless you're constantly sitting next to it (such as a desktop nano)and get to catch those moments you'll be staring contest and not much else which IMO a 50 gal would get insanely boring for, you may even get tempted to submerge a large plastic bottle with ventilation holes and stock the tank around it.

Thank you again for your insight. Although I agree with your logic, I'm going to counter with having "something" else to look for and pay attention to for the whole family.

Every single one of us now, has been peaking into the tank when we pass by, to get another glimpse and see where he might be hiding now. And you are 100% right. We have yet to see him since he scurried off later that afternoon when I got those pics. I was thinking of making a small cave/tunnel with some aragonite rubble I have so that I could place it beside/below some of my other rocks, in the hopes he'd make that his home and we could "consistently" find him.

Ideally, you are indeed correct, I would prefer him in my 13.5gal. It's right next to my bed and my recliner. It would be perfect!

I may still try to catch and transfer him. But at this point, the family democracy has voted me out of the decision making process.

 

[OrchidMiss]

@OrchidMiss , what size tank is your little murder bug in?

I've got mine in a 15g.

 

[kevgib67]

I've got mine in a 15g.

So OP is good to go in his 15.5 gallon? It sounds like his species stays smaller than yours. Can you give a green light?

 

[shrimpnreefdude]

I've got mine in a 15g.

Which species do you have?