Stomatopod Images

Radar Stomatopod: Undescribed Yellow Lysiosquillid

These beautiful and gigantic spearers are usually found by divers sitting in quiet repose in their burrow entrances, with the tips of their fearsome raptorial appendages peeking out demurely in front of the queerly shaped eyes.

Linda notes:

That one giant mantis gave me a scare on a night dive when I came across him and he was raised up about 20 cm (8 inches) out of his hole! He retreated very quickly after my light shone on him, so I did not get any photos. But it made me wonder what he was after. Actually, I wondered if he was after me, since I came across him by turning around when I had my side to him, and he was facing me about half a meter away. I haven't been speared by one, and hope not to be!

This pic was taken in Michelle's Reef, Milne Bay, Papua New Guinea, on April 20, 2002 using a Nikon RS, 50mm + 2X Teleconverter, dual DS-125 strobes, and Fujichrome Provia 100.

This beautiful color in mantis shrimps may be an adaptation to the light levels present at the depths where this critter is usually found. For more information on the unusual coloration of these stomatopods, click here.

For some absolutely incredible images of underwater life, including many mantis shrimp pics, visit Linda Cline's web site!

Updated July 10,2003: These beautiful spearers have been named Lysiosquilloides mapia! According to Dr. Caldwell, Mark Erdmann named it after the the Mapia Resort house reef, operated by Celebes Divers where the type specimen was collected. In the local Sangier language, "mapia" means "beautiful" which is also appropriate. Reference: Erdmann, M.V. and M. Boyer. 2003. Lysiosquilloides mapia, a new species of stomatopod crustacean from northern Sulawesi (Stomatopoda: Lysiosquillidae). Raffles Bulletin of Zoology 51:43-47.