''Pseudosquilla ciliata'', the common mantis shrimp, is a

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

mantis shrimp Mantis shrimp are carnivorous marine crustaceans of the order Stomatopoda (). Stomatopods branched off from other members of the class Malacostraca around 400 million years ago, with more than 520 extant species of mantis shrimp known. All li ...

, known by

common name In biology, a common name of a taxon or organism (also known as a vernacular name, English name, colloquial name, country name, popular name, or farmer's name) is a name that is based on the normal language of everyday life; and is often con ...

s including rainbow mantis shrimp and false mantis shrimp. It is widespread in the tropical

Indo-Pacific The Indo-Pacific is a vast biogeographic region of Earth. In a narrow sense, sometimes known as the Indo-West Pacific or Indo-Pacific Asia, it comprises the tropical waters of the Indian Ocean, the western and central Pacific Ocean, and the ...

region and in both the western and eastern Atlantic Ocean.

Description

''P. ciliata'' can be distinguished from other closely related mantis shrimps by several characteristics; the eye is cylindrical with a hemispherical

cornea The cornea is the transparency (optics), transparent front part of the eyeball which covers the Iris (anatomy), iris, pupil, and Anterior chamber of eyeball, anterior chamber. Along with the anterior chamber and Lens (anatomy), lens, the cornea ...

; the

rostral Rostral may refer to: Anatomy * Rostral (anatomical term), situated toward the oral or nasal region * Rostral bone, in ceratopsian dinosaurs * Rostral organ, of certain fish * Rostral scale The rostral scale, or rostral, in snakes and other sca ...

plate lacks a small spine at the front; the

carapace A carapace is a dorsal (upper) section of the exoskeleton or shell in a number of animal groups, including arthropods, such as crustaceans and arachnids, as well as vertebrates, such as turtles and tortoises. In turtles and tortoises, the unde ...

does not bear large black spots; the

telson The telson () is the hindmost division of the body of an arthropod. Depending on the definition, the telson is either considered to be the final segment (biology), segment of the arthropod body, or an additional division that is not a true segm ...

has three keel-like ridges on either side of a central ridge; and the base of each

uropod Uropods are posterior appendages found on a wide variety of crustaceans. They typically have functions in locomotion. Definition Uropods are often defined as the appendages of the last body segment of a crustacean. An alternative definition sugge ...

terminates in two slender flattened spines, the innermost of which is the shorter. The colour of ''P. ciliata'' varies greatly depending on an individual's environment; for example, ''P. ciliata'' living in a

sea grass Seagrasses are the only flowering plants which grow in marine (ocean), marine environments. There are about 60 species of fully marine seagrasses which belong to four Family (biology), families (Posidoniaceae, Zosteraceae, Hydrocharitaceae and ...

flat will often turn green, while one living in

coralline algae Coralline algae are red algae in the order Corallinales. They are characterized by a thallus that is hard because of calcareous deposits contained within the cell walls. The colors of these algae are most typically pink, or some other shade of re ...

will often turn red. ''P. ciliata'' may reach a total length of . The colour can range from yellowish to near black and may be plain, marbled or striped. There is often a dark patch on the last thoracic segment and first abdominal segment and another one on the edge of the telson just behind the intermediate spine on abdominal segment six.

Distribution and habitat

''P. ciliata'' has a widespread distribution in shallow seas across the tropical Indo-Pacific region and on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. It is found burrowing in sandy and muddy areas and in

seagrass meadow A seagrass meadow or seagrass bed is an underwater ecosystem formed by seagrasses. Seagrasses are marine (saltwater) plants found in shallow coastal waters and in the brackish waters of estuaries. Seagrasses are flowering plants with stems and ...

s. It is also found on coral rubble, under boulders and on rocky reef flats. Its depth range is from the lower shore down to a depth of at least .

Biology

''P. ciliata'' usually remains in its burrow during the day and emerges at night to forage. It is a

predator Predation is a biological interaction in which one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common List of feeding behaviours, feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation ...

and feeds on small fish, worms and small crustaceans, particularly shrimps.

Use in aquaria

''P. ciliata'' is sometimes kept in reef aquaria where it is hardy and safe with larger gastropods and crabs. A sand base to the tank will give it an opportunity to dig the U-shaped burrow in which it likes to spend its day.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q3656056 Stomatopoda Crustaceans of Brazil Crustaceans described in 1787