Lysiosquilllide Family of  Mantis Shrimp

Maning Striped Mantis Shrimp, Lysiosquilla manningi. A representative example of the Lysiosquillidae Family of Mantis Shrimp.

Phylogeny: Lysiosquillid Mantis Shrimp are Crustaceans and members of the Lysiosquillidae Family in the Phylum Arthropoda. They are often referred to as Banded, Lizard or Zebra Mantis Shrimp. They are in the Class Malacostraca and the Order Stomatopod. They are named for the resemblance of their “arms” and stalked eyes of Praying Mantis insects. There are approximately four hundred and eighty species of Mantis Shrimp, that have been placed in seventeen families of which members of eight are found along the Pacific Coast of Mexico. The Mantis Shrimp Stomatopods are separated into two categories based on the second pair of thoracic appendages – Spearers and Smashers. Spearers have barbed appendages that they use to spear soft prey such as fish. Smashers have a thickened portion at the “elbow” of the appendage and they strike hard shelled prey with a force equal to that of a small caliber bullet. This force breaks the shell and usually kills their prey instantly. The speed at which stomatopods move this second appendage is among the fastest movement of any animal, often completing the action in five to eight milliseconds.  Hemisquillidae Mantis Shrimp are smashers.

Distribution:  Stomatopods are found worldwide, in tropical to sub-Antarctic waters with the majority being found in temperate waters. They are found in soft substrate as-well-as within gravel and rocks from the intertidal zone to depths up to 250 m (820 feet). They reside in “U”-shaped burrows in soft-substrate, or under rocks on soft substrate. There are nineteen species in the Lysiosquillidae Family with four species being found along the Pacific Coast of Mexico.

Morphology:  Lysiosquillidae Mantis Shrimp are characterized by T-shaped eyes with bi-lobed corneas. Their bodies are smooth, lacking any dorsal ridges or carinae. Their last three maxillipeds (thoracic appendages) are broader than they are long, and are beaded on the ventral surface. The boss (raised, rounded portion of the dorsal surface of the telson), is low. Their raptorial claw is large and slender.  Hemisquillidae have 5 head segments, 8 thoracic segments, and 6 abdominal segments. The head and thorax are usually combined as a cephalothorax. The head includes a pair of antennae, a pair of antennules, and mouth parts. These animals have stomachs with 2 chambers. The next four pairs of thoracic appendages are subchelate (pincer-like) and are used for handling food and for burrowing. The last three pairs are used for walking. 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. The Stomatopods have 15 classes of photoreceptors; humans have four classes. Some have the ability to generate a fluorescent display that is used to signal others of their kind, and, perhaps, other species. The uropods and telson comprise the tail fan. Some species can form pelagic swarms. They may be nocturnal or diurnal and feed on cnidarians, crustaceans, fish, and mollusks. In turn they are preyed upon by fish and octopus. Some have the ability to generate a fluorescent display that is used to signal others of their kind, and, perhaps, other species. In turn they are preyed upon by by fish and octopus. They range in size from 1.0 cm (0.4 inches) to 48 cm (18 inches).

Reproduction:  Some species of Mantis Shrimps are monogamous, sharing the same burrow with their partner for more than twenty years.