Langosta Mantis Shrimp, Neogonodactylus oerstedii

Langosta Mantis Shrimp, Neogonodactylus oerstedii. Underwater photograph taken in Zihuatanejo Bay, Guerrero, February 2023. Photograph courtesy of Ron Wonteau, Zihuatanejo.

Phylogeny:  The Langosta Mantis Shrimp, Neogonodactylus oerstedii (Hansen, 1895), is a “smasher” and member of the Gonodactylidae Family of Mantis Shrimp. The Neogonodactylus genus is one of nine genera in the Gonodactylidae Family, and there are twenty-two species in the Neogonodactylus genus. They are also known as the Rock Mantis Shrimp and in Mexico as Camarón Galera. The genus name Neogonodactylus comes from the Greek words meaning something like “new jointed finger”. This name emphasizes that this genus is newly described compared to other genera in this family. This species is named in honor of the Danish physicist Hans Christian ∅rsted, who was recognized for his work with light and optics. This refers to the Mantis Shrimp’s complex eyes.

Morphology:  Langosta Mantis Shrimps come in a variety of colors ranging from light cream to bright green with a checkered pattern. They have a characteristic purple meral spot (a round dot on front smasher legs) that is darker in males than in females. The females are covered with black spots. They have the ability to change colors which is believed to be used for communication with conspecifics or heterospecifics. Like other mantis shrimps they have eyes that are among the most complex in the animal kingdom that can see the full range of visible light colors, as well as ultraviolet and polarized light.  Langosta Mantis Shrimp reach a maximum of 7.0 cm (2.8 inches) in length.

Habitat and Distribution:  Langosta Mantis Shrimps are a benthic species that reside within the cavities of coralline algae, coral rubble, live coral, grass flats, urchin tests and gastropod shells. They live in the lower intertidal zone, and to depths up to 76 m (250 feet). Lanagosta Mantis Shrimp are found in Mexican waters of both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. In the Atlantic they are found within the coastal waters from San Luis Potosi in the Gulf of Mexico south and eastward into the Caribbean and south to Belize. In the Pacific they are found throughout the Sea of Cortez. The photographs above document the presence of this species along the southwest coast of mainland Mexico in the Pacific.

Diet: Langosta Mantis Shrimps are active diurnally consuming a wide variety of crustaceans and gastropods.

Predators:  While out of their refuges Langosta Mantis Shrimps prone to predation by fish, including snappers, triggerfish, and wrasse.

Reproduction:  Langosta Mantis Shrimps are gonochoric (male or female for life). Reproduction is sexual, with external fertilization. Males insert their gonadopods into the female’s gonadopores, where the sperm is released. The fertilized eggs are laid as a sticky mass. The female broods the eggs in her burrow and cares for, cleans, and aerates the eggs. She does not eat until the eggs hatch. The eggs hatch into planktonic zoea which lasts for three months. The Langosta Mantis Shrimp is poorly studied species and very little is known about their behavioral patterns.

Ecosystem Interactions:  There is no documentation of commensalism, parasitism, or symbiosis involving Langosta Mantis Shrimps.

Human Interactions:  Langosta Mantis Shrimps are sought by the aquarium trade, but due to the aggressive behavior are normally limited to a single species tank. From a conservation perspective the Langosta Mantis Shrimp has not been formally evaluated.

Synonym:  Gonodactylus oerstredii.

Caution: the Langosta Striped Mantis Shrimp can inflict serious lacerations with its claws if not handled carefully.