Mantis shrimp
Biology, Phylogeny, and Ecology of the Stomatopoda
Stomatopods, also known as mantis shrimp, are an ancient group of marine arthropods that belong to the class Stomatopoda. There are approximately 350 species of stomatopods that have been discovered to date, ranging in size from 1 to 30 cm. (Caldwell 1975) Stomatopods are a group of crustaceans that belong to the class Malacostraca, along with familiar crustaceans such as crabs, lobsters, and shrimp. The malacostracans are defined by their unique bauplan, which consists of a segmented body divided into three distinct tagmata: the head, thorax, and abdomen. All living stomatopods are represented by four families: Squillidae, Lysiosquillidae, Gonodactylidae, and Bathysquillidae. (Caldwell 1975)
A typical stomatopod, Pseudosquilla ciliata
The head of the mantis shrimp is divided into 5 segments, each associated with a pair of appendages. Two pairs of antennae, the first of which is biramous, the second uniramous, make up the first two pairs of appendages. Both pairs of antennae are used for sensory purposes. Behind the antennae there are a pair of mandibles, a pair of maxillulae, and a pair of maxillae. (Haug et al. 2012) The mandibles are used for crushing food, and both the maxillulae and the maxillae are used to taste and manipulate food. The head also bears a pair of very complex compound eyes, each of which may contain up to ten thousand ommatidia. The thorax of stomatopods consists of 8 body segments, which are also associated with their own pair of appendages. As in most crustaceans, the head and the thorax are fused and function as a single unit called the cephalothorax. (Srour 2011) A hard carapace covers most of the cephalothorax, with the exception of the last three thoracic segments. The first 5 segments of the thorax each have their own pair of maxillipeds. The mantis shrimp is most famously known for its enlarged second maxilliped, a highly developed raptorial claw that is used for
Stomatopods, also known as mantis shrimp, are an ancient group of marine arthropods that belong to the class Stomatopoda. There are approximately 350 species of stomatopods that have been discovered to date, ranging in size from 1 to 30 cm. (Caldwell 1975) Stomatopods are a group of crustaceans that belong to the class Malacostraca, along with familiar crustaceans such as crabs, lobsters, and shrimp. The malacostracans are defined by their unique bauplan, which consists of a segmented body divided into three distinct tagmata: the head, thorax, and abdomen. All living stomatopods are represented by four families: Squillidae, Lysiosquillidae, Gonodactylidae, and Bathysquillidae. (Caldwell 1975)
A typical stomatopod, Pseudosquilla ciliata
The head of the mantis shrimp is divided into 5 segments, each associated with a pair of appendages. Two pairs of antennae, the first of which is biramous, the second uniramous, make up the first two pairs of appendages. Both pairs of antennae are used for sensory purposes. Behind the antennae there are a pair of mandibles, a pair of maxillulae, and a pair of maxillae. (Haug et al. 2012) The mandibles are used for crushing food, and both the maxillulae and the maxillae are used to taste and manipulate food. The head also bears a pair of very complex compound eyes, each of which may contain up to ten thousand ommatidia. The thorax of stomatopods consists of 8 body segments, which are also associated with their own pair of appendages. As in most crustaceans, the head and the thorax are fused and function as a single unit called the cephalothorax. (Srour 2011) A hard carapace covers most of the cephalothorax, with the exception of the last three thoracic segments. The first 5 segments of the thorax each have their own pair of maxillipeds. The mantis shrimp is most famously known for its enlarged second maxilliped, a highly developed raptorial claw that is used for
References: 1. Caldwell, Roy L. 1975. Ecology and Evolution of Agnostic behavior in Stomatopods. Naturwissenschaften 62: 214-222 This is an article on stomatopods taken from a scientific journal