Mantis shrimp

Mead, K. S., M. B. Wiley, M. A. R. Koehl, and J. R. Koseff. Fine-scale patterns of odor encounter by the antennules of mantis shrimp tracking turbulent plumes in wave-affected and unidirectional flow. J. Exp. Biol. 206, 181-193 (2003). 

Up to this point, the cylinder model has been applied only to the upper few decimeters of sediment inhabited by the easily captured macrofauna. Deeper regions of sediment, particularly at NWC and DEEP, are known to be burrowed to depths > 1 m by the mantis shrimp Squilla (see Meyers,... 

Myers, A. C. (1979). Summer and winter burrows of a mantis shrimp, Squilla empusa, in Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island (U.S.A.) Estuarine Coastal Mar. Sci. 8, 87-98. 

MARSHALL, J., OBERWINKLER, J., The colourful world of the mantis shrimp. Nature, 401, 873-874. 

Stacey M, Mead KS, Koehl MAR (2002) Molecule capture by olfactory antennules mantis shrimp. J Math Biol 44 1-30... 

Mantis Shrimp Olfactory Apparatus and Chemosensory Behavior... 

Stomatopods, also known as mantis shrimp, are malacostracan crustaceans that typically live in tropical or subtropical oceans, although a few temperate species are known. Mantis shrimp are typically between 2 and 30 cm in length. Their elongate bodies are typically flattened dorsoventrally. Hallmarks include specialized stalked eyes, tripartite antennules that are highly sensitive to a variety of odors, and raptorial appendages capable of very rapid strikes. 

The burrows or cavities are critical for many aspects of mantis shrimp ecology. They provide safety from predators, a location for processing prey, and a safe haven for mating and for the guarding of eggs and larvae. Many species face strong competition for suitable locations for burrows or for cavities. The combination of the need of a burrow entrance precisely calibrated to the animal s diameter and the increase in body size with each molt means that stomatopods periodically (during... 

Fig. 11.4 Artist s sketch of female mantis shrimp in burrow using maxilliped pulses to send an odor signal to a potential male intruder. The male is using antennulation to investigate the signal emanating from the burrow. Drawing by Jorge A. Varela Ramos...

These data inserted into an advection-diffusion model indicate that odor molecules in filaments moving into the sensor array arrive at the surfaces of the aesthetascs within milliseconds (Stacey et al. 2003). In contrast, during the slower return stroke of the flick and during the stationary pause between flicks, water flows around rather than into the array of chemosensory hairs (Mead et al. 1999 Mead and Koehl 2000). Thus, an antennule of a mantis shrimp takes a discrete sample in time and space of its odor environment only during the flick outstroke (Mead and Koehl 2000 Stacey et al. 2003). This pattern of discrete sampling appears to be widespread among crustaceans (see Koehl, Chap. 5). 

Olfactory flicking seems to be matched to the animal s olfactory need. For instance, the tropical mantis shrimp G. falcatus becomes increasingly involved in sophisticated aggressive and reproductive encounters as it grows. It also hunts faster and more elusive prey. These complex social and foraging behavior patterns require rapid responses. Perhaps to accommodate the need for speed, antennule flicking velocity and frequency increase several fold with body size (Fig. 11.5a, Mead et al. 1999). Flicking reduces the boundary layer so that odors penetrate the array more quickly (Mead and Koehl 2000), and increases the rate at which chemical information is obtained. 

Although mantis shrimp are capable of individual recognition, this does not mean that they are immune to the deceptive use of odors. When a male and female stomatopod come into close proximity, the odors that waft from the female to the... 

Social conditions also affect the level of reliance on individual recognition. For instance, if a mantis shrimp lives in a solitary manner, or if it encounters many different individuals a day with no repeats, then individual recognition is unlikely to play a pivotal role for that animal. In contrast, social and environmental factors leading to repeat interactions increase the likelihood of individual recognition... 

Mantis shrimp represent a wonderful model system for investigating individual recognition. We have a basic understanding of the behavioral basis of individual recognition in aggressive and reproductive encounters, but there remain several important gaps in... 

Caldwell RL (1979) Cavity occupation and defensive behaviour in the mantis shrimp Gonodactylus festae evidence for chemically mediated individual recognition. Anim Behav 27 194-201 Caldwell RL (1982) Interspecific chemically mediated recognition in two competing stomatopods. 

Caldwell RL (1985) A test of individual recognition in the mantis shrimp Gonodactylus festae. Anim Behav 33 101-106... 

Christy JH, Salmon M (1991) Comparative studies of reproductive behavior in mantis shrimps and fiddler crabs. Am Zool 31 329-337... 

Mead K, Koehl MAR (2000) Particle image velocimetry measurements of fluid flow through a model array of mantis shrimp chemosensory sensilla. J Exp Biol 203 3795-3808... 

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