| |
Consultancy | |||||||||
| |
||||||||||
MARINE IMAGE OF THE MONTH
Scyllarus
The Stomatopod Ontodactylus scyllarus.
The Stomatopods are a group of crustaceans commonly known as Mantis-Shrimps due to the pair of large folding legs at the front of the body which resemble the legs on a praying mantis insect. As you might guess from the large eyes located on top of the head, they have extremely well developed eyesight, and are voracious predators of molluscs and other smaller crustaceans. They make a rapid rush toward the prey and subdue it with the front legs. In O. scyllarus the front legs have hard clubs used to smash the prey (see close up below) - other species have spearing tips and yet others have legs covered in grasping teeth.
I saw this specimen on a recent trip with Undersea Explorer while I was diving at about 10m on the Lighthouse Bommie, a narrow pinnacle located just inshore of the southern end of Ribbon Reef #10. The animal was roaming around the reef surface looking for prey, and was quite happy to pose for some macro shots. This species is also known as the Harlequin or Peacock Mantis Shrimp due to the beautiful colouration which is well illustrated in the images shown here. More information and pictures of Mantis Shrimps can be found at Professor Roy Caldwell's web pages.
(Olympus C7070WZ, Macro, F4.5, 1/250, ISO 100, shutter priority, camera's own slow flash setting).
Image of the Month Archive
Wall of eyes |
Spawning squid |
Hydnophora |
Derasa Whirlpool |
Reef Erotica 1 |
Melanopus |
Trident |
Avian Dawn |
|
Tentacle Towers |
Barracuda |
Reef Erotica 2 |
Stingray's Cave |
Number 10 |
Sarcophyton |
Pavona |
Ocean Rock Sky |
Coral Garden |
Fish Temple |
Volitans |
Scyllarus |
Sand-Swept |
All the pictures shown here are available for sale as either digital images or high quality prints, framed or unframed. Email Dr. Andy Lewis for more details of sizing, prices and postage.
A wide selection of Andy's other photographs are also available from Bigprints Sydney Studios and Essense Imaging. Please visit their website to view the images and order online.
