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Common name: Purple-Spotted Mantis Functional type: Smasher Range: New Caledonia to western Indian Ocean Habitat: Reef flats, dead and live coral Depth: Low intertidal to 60 m, but most common in low intertidal Home: Cavity in coral rubble or live coral such as Porietes Diet: Generalist; small crustaceans, gastropods Size: 890 mm Color: Green to dark green with red raptorial dactyls and yellow antennal scales; animals from below 10 m often have a maroon body color; meral spot maroon to purple with white ring Distinguishing Characters: Purple meral spot; red knob at base of uropods Activity: Diurnal; often forages away from cavity at low tide in very shallow water
Suitability for Aquarium: Excellent; highly interactive, hardy. This is my favorite gonodactylid for an aquarium Availability: Occasionally shipped from the Philippines and Indonesia Back to the Species Directory |