Very rare mantis

[rudy]

It is confirmed as a Odontodactylus japonicus.

Not described and only found in Museums. Roy Caldwell has never seen a living specimen

[justinl]

hey there rudy... yeah same justinl as on RC. Wow... that is arguably a sweeter find than O cultrifer. Take good care of it!

[FISHNUTS]

Nice find!!

Aquabid...LOL


sl

[Fish]

Originally Posted by rudy

Roy Caldwell has never seen a living specimen

That's amazing considering the 1000's of specimens that have gone through his lab!

Congrats Tim! No pressure but... all the mantis keepers in the known world are waiting to see how it goes

- Chad

[rusty]

Hey Rudy That thing is sweet!! Can you get some more pics of it?

[rudy]

It is actually a LOT more pink and salmon colored than the pics.
More pics here http://s168.photobucket.com/albums/u198/rudykane/

I will get some pics after I settle him in his 55 today.

This apparently is the biggest smasher species that can get 8-10 inches (even bigger than a Peacock).

[justinl]

is the 55 acrylic or very thick glass (like half an inch)? with a mantis that gets as big as Dr. Roy says yours will, I would be a very nervous man with a 55g glass tank.

[rudy]

Originally Posted by justinl

is the 55 acrylic or very thick glass (like half an inch)? with a mantis that gets as big as Dr. Roy says yours will, I would be a very nervous man with a 55g glass tank.

Bahhh.

If he breaks the glass he will be even more rare as I have never heard of one actually succeed at this.

I have heard the mantis break the glass story so many times yet nobody has actually had one do it. I personally don't believe it, but I may eat my words one day.

If Stinky keeps his in a 50 gallon glass and it is o.k. I think anything is. His is a beast!

[justinl]

I know it happens very rarely and only with large smashers (like yours). But it does happen. Just ask Dr. Roy, he's had a few tanks get smashed. He even has a pic of a peacock in the middle of smashing the glass.

I just thought that since yours is so rare (and ridiculously so) I personally wouldn't be taking any chances at all. you have to understand that if Dr. Roy of all people hasn't even seen one ALIVE, then you have a VERY VERY special mantis on ya. jmo

[G1GY]

Originally Posted by rudy

Bahhh.

If he breaks the glass he will be even more rare as I have never heard of one actually succeed at this.

I have heard the mantis break the glass story so many times yet nobody has actually had one do it. I personally don't believe it, but I may eat my words one day.

If Stinky keeps his in a 50 gallon glass and it is o.k. I think anything is. His is a beast!

I got a small mantis from Kari and kept it in one of those hang on breeder boxes over night on my reef tank. By morning he had smashed just about enough of the little grates to get out, but I was lucky enough to get him just before he got out.

Then I set him up in a little acrylic Azoo cube with some liverock. He pullverized the liverock contantly untile he had rubble. The noise he made all the time made me move the little cube down to the basement. After about a month or so, he managed to crack the little Azoo acrylic cube and I decided to get rid of the little bugger and put it up for adoption here on the board. I kept him in a tupperware dish at this point.

Another member came and picked him up and told me he was putting the mantis in his sump. I told him about the problems I had and he said that he's not worried at all about it.

Less than a month later this person has his sump cracked and leaking one morning and places the mantis in a mason preserve jar to keep it safe untill he returns from work and then makes arrangements to bring it in to Albert in the evening.

When he returned home from work he found a cracked mason jar with a dried up dead mantis in it.

And this was just a very small one.

True story.