Arthropoda · arthropods

Peacock mantis shrimp

Odontodactylus scyllarus

Odontodactylidae · smashing mantis shrimpIUCN: Not evaluated
Peacock mantis shrimp
Photo: Cédric Péneau · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · resized

A rainbow-colored crustacean with clubs that strike like a bullet.

Fun factIts eyes have 12 types of color receptors, more than any other animal studied.

Waters
Indo-Pacific
Depth zone
Coral reefs
Diet
Snails, crabs & clams
Size
Up to 18 cm

Classification

Arthropoda › Malacostraca › Stomatopoda › Odontodactylidae

  1. Kingdom Animalia animals
    • Many-celled organisms that eat other living things for energy (heterotrophs)
    • Cells have no cell walls
    • Most can move at some stage of life
  2. Clade Bilateria bilateral animals
    • Body has a left and right side that mirror each other (bilateral symmetry)
    • Head end with concentrated nerves; three tissue layers
    • Includes about 99% of all living animal species
  3. Clade Protostomia protostomes
    • In the embryo, the first opening usually becomes the mouth
    • Main nerve cord runs along the belly (ventral)
    • Includes mollusks, worms, and arthropods
  4. Clade Ecdysozoa molting animals
    • Grow by shedding their outer layer (molting, ecdysis)
    • No cilia used for movement
    • Includes arthropods and nematode worms
  5. Phylum Arthropoda arthropods
    • Hard outer skeleton made of chitin (exoskeleton)
    • Jointed legs and a segmented body
    • The largest animal phylum by species count
  6. Subphylum Crustacea crustaceans
    • Two pairs of antennae
    • Branched (biramous) legs in many species
    • Most breathe with gills
  7. Class Malacostraca crabs, shrimp & kin
    • Body of a head, 8-segment thorax, and 6-segment abdomen
    • Includes crabs, shrimp, lobsters, krill, and isopods
  8. Order Stomatopoda mantis shrimp
    • Mantis shrimp: second pair of limbs folded into powerful smashing or spearing raptorial claws
    • Eyes on stalks with many types of color receptors
  9. Family Odontodactylidae smashing mantis shrimp
    • Smashing mantis shrimp with club-shaped claws
  10. Genus Odontodactylus
    • Species in the same genus are very close relatives and often look alike.
  11. Species Odontodactylus scyllarus Peacock mantis shrimp

Closest relatives in the guide