Peacock mantis shrimp
Encyclopedia
The peacock mantis shrimp, Odontodactylus scyllarus, also known as the harlequin mantis shrimp or painted mantis shrimp, is a large mantis shrimp
native to the Indo-Pacific
from Guam
to East Africa
.
-like spots on the anterior carapace
.
Their ability to see circularly polarized light has led to studies to determine if the mechanisms by which their eyes operate can be replicated for use in reading CDs and similar optical information storage devices.
s in water ranging from 3 to 40 m (9.8 to 131.2 ft) deep.
This mantis shrimp is a smasher, with club shaped raptorial appendage
s. An active hunter, it prefers gastropods, crustacean
s, and bivalves, and will repeatedly smash its prey until it can gain access to the soft tissue for consumption. It is reported to have a "punch" of over 50 miles per hour (22.4 m/s). This is the fastest recorded punch of any living animal.
, as they will eat other tank occupants. They are therefore often kept as solitary creatures in acrylic
tanks. Though they are burrowers in the wild, these animals will readily accept a suitably sized length of PVC
pipe as a surrogate lair. They are active, intelligent, curious animals, capable of interacting with their keepers.
Mantis shrimp
Mantis shrimp or stomatopods are marine crustaceans, the members of the order Stomatopoda. They are neither shrimp nor mantids, but receive their name purely from the physical resemblance to both the terrestrial praying mantis and the shrimp. They may reach in length, although exceptional cases of...
native to the Indo-Pacific
Indo-Pacific
The Indo-Pacific is a biogeographic region of the Earth's seas, comprising the tropical waters of the Indian Ocean, the western and central Pacific Ocean, and the seas connecting the two in the general area of Indonesia...
from Guam
Guam
Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
to East Africa
East Africa
East Africa or Eastern Africa is the easterly region of the African continent, variably defined by geography or geopolitics. In the UN scheme of geographic regions, 19 territories constitute Eastern Africa:...
.
Description
O. scyllarus is one of the larger, more colorful mantis shrimps commonly seen, ranging in size from 3 to 18 cm (1.2 to 7.1 in). They are primarily green in color, with orange legs and leopardLeopard
The leopard , Panthera pardus, is a member of the Felidae family and the smallest of the four "big cats" in the genus Panthera, the other three being the tiger, lion, and jaguar. The leopard was once distributed across eastern and southern Asia and Africa, from Siberia to South Africa, but its...
-like spots on the anterior carapace
Carapace
A carapace is a dorsal section of the exoskeleton or shell in a number of animal groups, including arthropods such as crustaceans and arachnids, as well as vertebrates such as turtles and tortoises. In turtles and tortoises, the underside is called the plastron.-Crustaceans:In crustaceans, the...
.
Their ability to see circularly polarized light has led to studies to determine if the mechanisms by which their eyes operate can be replicated for use in reading CDs and similar optical information storage devices.
Ecology
They are burrowers, constructing U-shaped holes in the loose substrate near the bases of coral reefCoral reef
Coral reefs are underwater structures made from calcium carbonate secreted by corals. Coral reefs are colonies of tiny living animals found in marine waters that contain few nutrients. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, which in turn consist of polyps that cluster in groups. The polyps...
s in water ranging from 3 to 40 m (9.8 to 131.2 ft) deep.
This mantis shrimp is a smasher, with club shaped raptorial appendage
Appendage
In invertebrate biology, an appendage is an external body part, or natural prolongation, that protrudes from an organism's body . It is a general term that covers any of the homologous body parts that may extend from a body segment...
s. An active hunter, it prefers gastropods, crustacean
Crustacean
Crustaceans form a very large group of arthropods, usually treated as a subphylum, which includes such familiar animals as crabs, lobsters, crayfish, shrimp, krill and barnacles. The 50,000 described species range in size from Stygotantulus stocki at , to the Japanese spider crab with a leg span...
s, and bivalves, and will repeatedly smash its prey until it can gain access to the soft tissue for consumption. It is reported to have a "punch" of over 50 miles per hour (22.4 m/s). This is the fastest recorded punch of any living animal.
In aquaria
Peacocks are popular with aquarists for their bright colors and active behavior, but are not reef safeReef safe
Reef safe is a distinction used in the saltwater aquarium hobby to indicate that a fish or invertebrate is safe to add to a reef aquarium. There is no fish that is completely reef safe. Every fish that is commonly listed as reef safe are species that usually do not readily consume small fish or...
, as they will eat other tank occupants. They are therefore often kept as solitary creatures in acrylic
Acrylic glass
Poly is a transparent thermoplastic, often used as a light or shatter-resistant alternative to glass. It is sometimes called acrylic glass. Chemically, it is the synthetic polymer of methyl methacrylate...
tanks. Though they are burrowers in the wild, these animals will readily accept a suitably sized length of PVC
Polyvinyl chloride
Polyvinyl chloride, commonly abbreviated PVC, is a thermoplastic polymer. It is a vinyl polymer constructed of repeating vinyl groups having one hydrogen replaced by chloride. Polyvinyl chloride is the third most widely produced plastic, after polyethylene and polypropylene. PVC is widely used in...
pipe as a surrogate lair. They are active, intelligent, curious animals, capable of interacting with their keepers.