New peacock mantis won't eat.

[nlutfi]

It's a bit hard to tell because I think you're lighting might be creating a strange color effect, but he is definitely not a Peacock. They have an unmistakable leopard spot pattern and a large "Peacock" tail. Very distinctive.

Check his meral spots and let me know what color they are. The meral spots are on the inside of his raptorial appendages (arms). They might be white or orange or another color. If they are white, it is definitely a G. chiragra. If they are orange, it is from the genus Gonodactylaceus, possibly G. graphurus or G. glabrous. But I still think this is a G. chiragra.

Here is some better pics with just white lights on.

 

[Hadla]

Congrats! You have a male ternatensis! https://ucmp.berkeley.edu/arthropod...traca/royslist/species.php?name=g_ternatensis

Really pretty colors imo, the blue on the tail and the red intersegmental lines confirm it! Just about all stores label any mantis as a peacock and overcharge for them. Very few know how to id different species. The peacock is just the most well known.

 

[nmotz]

Yep, G. ternatensis

 

[nlutfi]

Thank you for the ID! That's for sure him! Any special care tips I should worry about with this species? Looks like in the wild they live in branching hard corals, should that be replicated in the tank? I know some species are susceptible to shell rot sometime cause by high lighting which would probably be needed to grow sps in the tank. Currently he's in a 20g AIO with a small fluval white/blue light only on for a few hours a day. Also a lot of rock rubble, sand and some tonga branch rock as well. Thanks again!

 

[nmotz]

You would need a very large SPS coral to give him a home like in the wild. Your setup is fine. If he’s already 3 inches long he won’t grow much more. You can probably put in a smaller diameter PVC pipe if you want. It can be as small as 1.5 inches diameter for that size mantis. I’d make it at least 9-10 inches long. Don’t worry about high lighting as shell rot is not as much a problem with G. ternatensis as it is with Peacocks.

 

[Hadla]

Yeah he’s probably already made a burrow to his liking so he will be fine! None of my mantises ever bothered using a pvc pipe except for one almost full grown peacock.

 

[nlutfi]

Yeah he’s probably already made a burrow to his liking so he will be fine! None of my mantises ever bothered using a pvc pipe except for one almost full grown peacock.

Thanks! Yea he does actually use the PVC, he piled a bunch of rubble rock in it so I'm not going to disturb it for now. Am I safe to put something like a small kessil or ai prime and grow some softies in there with him?

 

[Hadla]

Thanks! Yea he does actually use the PVC, he piled a bunch of rubble rock in it so I'm not going to disturb it for now. Am I safe to put something like a small kessil or ai prime and grow some softies in there with him?

I’m not sure as I don’t do corals but I would think it would be ok as long as he has lots of room to swim around protected from the light and enough rock rubble to completely close his pipe to molt