Stomatopod Crustacean

Some of the most striking crustaceans on a reef are stomatopods, or as they are commonly known, mantis shrimp. Armed with a pair of powerful raptorial appendages that are used to smash prey and drive off predators, mantis shrimp have evolved complex, colorful displays to communicate and a sophisticated visual system capable of seeing color and even ultraviolet and polarized light. The behavior and ecology of stomatopods are being studied by Roy Caldwell and his students in the Department of Integrative Biology. This 6 cm female Odontodactylus havanensis was photographed while Caldwell was conducting research in the Aquarius, a National Undersea Research Center underwater habitat anchored 15 meters under the surface off Key Largo, Florida.

Photo submitted by Roy Caldwell.