O cultrifer

rudyistaken · #1 03/29/2007, 04:15 PM

I think I may have stumbled accross a http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/arthrop...me=o_cultrifer

I walked into a store that was unloading a shipment from Sri Lanka and there was the most beautiful mantis I have ever seen. I orginally thought it was a Havanesis, but I.d.ing it I have become a bit lost on the placement. It is 4-5 inches for sure, translucent pink with a leopard pattern (like a peacock on its neck and very big bugling eyes. The tail is yellow, and blue with a red outline. The antenal scales are pinkish with a yellow outling on one side and a red hairish pattern on the other.

Any guesses?

I will get pics when I can, but I have NEVER seen a mantis this colorful

rudyistaken · #2 03/29/2007, 04:23 PM

I jsut got to see the top of the antennal scales and they are yellow at the base, purple at the tip.

If is pink is the color of this mantis then cultrifer is what I have!!!

rudyistaken · #3 03/29/2007, 05:08 PM

I just thought I would add that he is healthy. 10 minutes in the tank and he just killed a damsel!

justinl · #4 03/29/2007, 05:11 PM

what's with people finding the ultra rare mantis species in the past few days?! I mean come on, really!

if it is O cultrifer, get it! and get some pics!

rudyistaken · #5 03/29/2007, 05:15 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by justinl
what's with people finding the ultra rare mantis species in the past few days?! I mean come on, really!

if it is O cultrifer, get it! and get some pics!

I will bring a camera to work tommorow. It will live here!

As far as getting it? Put it this way I did not ask the price, I asked he just give it to me in the bag that it was shipped and walked out. I am not a stupid man. You could literally walk into the store looking for an angel and the colors on this thing would blow your mind.

justinl · #6 03/29/2007, 05:43 PM

you are one lucky bum hole my friend. btw easy ID for O cultrifer is the unusually high keel on the telson. You can see the pics in the royslist page you linked.

now get some pics up!

KhawMengLee · #7 03/29/2007, 11:11 PM

heh...another pokemon for the collection.

Msby12 · #8 03/30/2007, 01:44 AM

well, if it helps, here are the pictures of the one i sent to Dr. Caldwell,

dunno if this will help at all

if it is O. Cultrifer, GO FOR IT!!!!

justinl · #9 03/30/2007, 02:09 AM

sorry to side track, but msby12, I was wondering... Did you end up hand picking up a mantis from Dr. Roy? What did you get?

rudyistaken · #10 03/30/2007, 06:12 AM

edit double post

rudyistaken · #11 03/30/2007, 06:19 AM

I talked to Dr. Roy via email.

It is not as previously identified, but perhaps I will let him explain what it is.

rudyistaken · #12 03/30/2007, 09:15 AM

Here is a hyperlink to a few pics. I can never figure out how to post here so if anybody can do it for me I would appreciate it.

(proper link below)

mattyice · #13 03/30/2007, 09:29 AM

need to be a member to view them, what i would do is use photobucket to upload them and then use the image code to post them on here

rudyistaken · #14 03/30/2007, 09:41 AM

Lets try this

Reef central gallery
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/showg...at=500&thumb=1

mattyice · #15 03/30/2007, 09:52 AM

any larger better pics? that looks like it could be a deep water manits from it being that light in color and large eyes

or depending on the size perhaps an albino O. Havanensis

Gonodactylus · #16 03/30/2007, 10:41 AM

It is indeed a deep water species almost certainly Odontodactylus japonicus. While I have never seen one of these alive, the colors all match. This species gets larger than O. scyllarus which makes it the largest known smasher.

Roy

mattyice · #17 03/30/2007, 10:53 AM

UH OH even bigger then the H. Californiensis

if so how much do you want for it? this will be a perfect for my tank at work, no heater, and little light...what type of food can this beast take down?

rudyistaken · #18 03/30/2007, 10:57 AM

Haha.

If he was going anywhere it would be to Roy, but since I am in Canada I am just going to help him with the research on this as much as I can.

He has been in the tank a day and killed two three spot damsels and every snail in there.

I will continue to update

Thanks again Roy

Gonodactylus · #19 03/30/2007, 10:58 AM

No, not bigger than Hemisquilla, but I don't consider H. californiensis a true smasher in that the raptorial dactyls do not have an inflated heel. If I had to characterize it, I would call it more of a "hacker".

Roy

mattyice · #20 03/30/2007, 11:18 AM

haha that sounds kooler then a smasher or spearer, and rudy do you think that the LFS you got it from could talk to the collector and see if they could get another one just like that? if so tell them its sold and i will pay for shipping from canada

also the tank looks to be like one of the mass produced all in one tanks...if it is i would definitely start looking for a MUCH thicker aquarium because if a peacock can break thick glass i dont know what that thing could do...

rudyistaken · #21 03/30/2007, 01:27 PM

Here are some more pics

http://s168.photobucket.com/albums/u198/rudykane/

As far as the tank I won't even tell you what he is in now as I will get flamed but he is going in a 54 corner bow.

Pea-brain · #22 03/30/2007, 01:35 PM

So, I forsee some probles here. 1# shell disease. This is a big mntis, and probly won't molt often. A very real threat. #2 burrow requirements. This species has yet to be studied alive and may be very hard to meet its burrow requirments in captivity. I would keep the lighting very low. Probly requires colder water also. How active is it? does it seem active enough to be worthy of giving it a 55 gallon with no corals and no heater?

rudyistaken · #23 03/30/2007, 01:43 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Pea-brain
So, I forsee some probles here. 1# shell disease. This is a big mntis, and probly won't molt often. A very real threat. #2 burrow requirements. This species has yet to be studied alive and may be very hard to meet its burrow requirments in captivity. I would keep the lighting very low. Probly requires colder water also. How active is it? does it seem active enough to be worthy of giving it a 55 gallon with no corals and no heater?

Without question. It is very active and very personable.

mattyice · #24 03/30/2007, 01:46 PM

exactly which is why he should ship it to me lol, actually its still got another 8" to grow lol, so its still pretty tiny, so a 55 will be needed, i recommend feeding some very very very healthy food to this creature, im talking about fish kept in a QT gutloaded with the best of food, snails kept in a calcium rich enviroment gut loaded with algae sheets, shrimp gutloaded with spectrum pellets, water quality at a maximum, i would do everything in your power to give this creatue a very good enviroment, i would only put an actinic bulb over the tank with it coming from deep water, no heater, no corals, 55G minimum with a animal that gets to be this large, i would actually go acrylic just incase it does get pretty mad

Gonodactylus · #25 03/30/2007, 02:01 PM

I have looked at the photos and this is almost certainly O. japonicus (or and undescribed species). Without having the animal in hand, that is as far as I can go. I must admit that when I first saw it, I questioned whether it might be an albino O. s. However, the blue on the posterior side of the antennal scales argue against this.

If you can, get a look at the inside edge of the raptorial dactyl. In O.s, there are two or three short barbs. In O. japonicus, there are 6-8. If the animal opens the dactyl slightly, you should be able to see these.

The other diagnostic character is the posterior lateral edge of the 5th addominal segment (posterior corner). In O. s and O. hawaiiensis, their is a short spine pointing backward. In O. j the edge is smooth. To identify the fifth segment, count backward from the first addominal segment which is the first segment withoug a pair of walking legs and the first with gills. The telson connects to the sixth abdominal segment which give rise to the uropods.

Roy