Common name: Zebra Mantis Shrimp, Striped Mantis Shrimp Functional type: Spearer Range: Indo-Pacific from Hawaii and Galapagos to East Africa Habitat: Mud, sand and sandy reef flats Depth: Low intertidal to 10 m Home: Large, u-shaped burrow reinforced with mucus to bind sand Diet: Fish, occasional shrimp and crab Size: 1.540 cm (this is the largest of all stomatopods) Color: Transverse stripes ranging from cream and tan to tan and very dark brown; meral spot pale tan to white; sexually mature females often with pink ovaries visible as a pink stripe running the length of the thorax and abdomen Distinguishing Characters: Bilobed eyes covered with white spots; antennal scale with dark patch in center; raptorial dactyl with 1011 teeth; sexually dimorphic, males with larger eyes and raptorial appendages Activity: Almost never leaves burrow; hunts day and night; lives in monogamous pairs, male does most of the hunting
Suitability for Aquarium: Highly specialized requirements; small animals will excavate burrow in deep sand beds and grow rapidly; hardy Availability: Occasionally available from commercial suppliers; almost always only males are caught and sold. It is possible to establish pairs, but females are very difficult to catch; commonly eaten Back to the Species Directory |