Raptorial Appendage Movements

[Kharn]

I was just watching a good video detailing how Lysiosquillina maculata attack prey on Youtube and I noticed something and not sure why I haven't really noticed it before....I have 2 pictures detailing the same species of stomatopod in there mid strike "form" however the way both there raptorial appendages work is almost opposite to one another...I'll describe what I see in the pics.

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In this picture although not the clearest you can see how the L.mac's raptorial appendages go UNDER the prey (prawn meat) then come up from under and infront, which then brings about the dragging inwards motion towards the L.mac.

source:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7Mxc4yZK_4

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In this picture its obviously MUCH clearer but it also is what shows a great difference (or maybe I'm crazy...) from this position you can see how the L.mac's raptorial appendages go OVER the prey (trigger fish) then what appears to happen is the little teeth/spines on the last "digit" of the raptorial appendage dig into the prey, bringing it down onto the 6 larger spines (3 either appendage) which are located on the middle "digit", then that motion brings brings about the dragging inwards motion towards the L.mac.

Source:http://arthropoda.files.wordpress.co...-in-action.jpg

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The most interesting thing besides the fact that it looks like there almost bending there arms in weird manners....is that in BOTH shots of the L.mac's shown....there both coming out of there tunnels...a.k.a Straight upright no leaning on angles to strike on angles!?!?

Are my eyes playing tricks on me or am I seeing something I haven't read or heard about yet in the manner of these what seems to be different strikes from same species animals ?

Cheers

[DanInSD]

It's a perspective thing. They attack from underneath.

Dan

[Kharn]

Originally Posted by DanInSD

It's a perspective thing. They attack from underneath.

Dan

Certainly not attacking from underneath in the 2nd pic .... and you can tell the camera operator in the 2nd pic is tilted himself NOT the mantis from what I can see it looks like some funky mechanics in the raptorial appendages.

[bgoldacker]

second pic looks like its coming from underneath to me.

[Kharn]

I must be on crack or something ..... -_-

To me it really looks as if the mantis is almost twisting its appendages to the side THEN striking but at the same time its not twisting its body to make up for the twist in its appendages.

Where the first pic the final appendage goes under, in the 2nd pic TO ME it seems that the appendage is going into the fishes side and the pulling inwards to the mantis motion would leave the fish in the opposite position to the prawn in the first pic...

I must be on crack o_O

[Kharn]

Ok so I have drawn som albeit cheap drawings in paint of what I believe I am seeing and how the rest of the action in the strike would turn out....

This drawing is exampling the first pic I provided with the mantis and prawn meat, its quite clear that it goes UNDER the prawn meat initially.


This drawing is exampling the second pic I provided with the mantis and the trigger fish, its not totally clear in the pic and hence why I braught it up to begin with but from what I can see, the motion of the appendage would be something like this.


Am I smokin crack ?

[Gonodactylus]

The strike is from below. I've commented on this photo before. The image was taken after the stomatopod had stabbed the fish. From the blurring, the fish is struggling slightly twisting the raptorial appendages.

Roy