Tiburon Mantis Shrimp, Squilla tiburonensis

Tiburon Mantis Shrimp, Squilla tiburonensis. Length: 10 cm (3.9 inches). Capable of moving faster than Usain Bolt!

Phylogeny: The Tiburon Mantis Shrimp, Squilla tiburonensis (Schmitt, 1940), is a member of the Squillidae Family of Squillid Mantis Shrimp. The genus Squilla is one of forty-eight genera in this family, and there are twenty-two species in this genus. Mantis shrimps in this genus are spearing mantis shrimps, as compared to smashing mantis shrimps. In Mexico this species is known as estomatópodo de tiburón.

Morphology: The Tiburon Mantis Shrimp is gray in color with varying amounts of brown blotching, with two black squarish blotches on the abdominal segments. The telson and uropods have yellowish margins and black tips. The legs and raptorial claws are white. The Tiburon Mantis Shrimp is characterized by T-shaped eyes with bi-lobed corneas and a well-developed, longitudinal, dorsal, carinae (keel). They have fixed, submedian teeth on a quadriform telson and rounded posterior angles on the carapace. They have 6 barbs on their second thoracic appendage (raptorial claw). Tiburon Mantis Shrimp reach a maximum of 15 cm (5.8 inches) in length.

Habitat and Distribution: Tiburon Mantis Shrimp are found on sand, in burrows or depressions, at depths between 5 m (16 feet) and 76 m (250 feet).  In Mexican waters they are a resident of the Pacific and are endemic to the Gulf of California. They range from Consag Rock, San Felipe, Baja California to the greater Los Cabos area, Baja California Sur.

Diet: Tiburon Mantis Shrimps are predatory carnivores. They capture their food by spearing it with their sharp raptorial claws. The available literature does not describe the diet of Tiburon Mantis Shrimps specifically, but other mantis shrimp in this genus eat fish, crabs, shrimp, worms, krill, hermit crabs, and other mantis shrimps.

Predators:  Predation of Tiburon Mantis Shrimps  has not been documented, however other mantis shrimp in this genus are eaten by cuttlefish, octopuses, sharks, squid, rays, and fish such as the Yellow Snapper, Lutjanus argentiventris.

Reproduction: Tiburon Mantis Shrimps are gonochoric (male or female for life). Reproduction is sexual with fertilization occurring internally. Very little is known about Tiburon Mantis Shrimp mating behavior. Within this genus mating behavior varies from monogamous to promiscuous. Males use sperm ducts rather than spermatophores to inseminate the female. Females can brood tens of thousands of eggs and they incubate the eggs in their burrows. The eggs hatch into planktonic larva which, after a few months, metamorpose into their adult form.

Ecosystem Interactions:  The interspecies relationships between Tiburon Mantis Shrimps and other species has not been documented. Some mantis shrimps are parasitized by small gastropods and worms. It is unknown if they share their burrow with other species.

Human Interactions:  Tiburon Mantis Shrimps are often collected as  by-catch by shrimp trawlers and represent a modest commercial fishery. Otherwise, they have limited direct impact on human activities. Caution: the second pair of thoracic appendages of the Tiburon Mantis Shrimp are sharp and inflict serious lacerations if not handled carefully. From a conservation perspective the Tiburon Mantis Shrimp has not been formally evaluated, but they are with a  wide distribution and should be consider to be of Least Concern.