Gonodactylus smithii

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Gonodactylus smithii
Mantis shrimp from front.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Malacostraca
Order: Stomatopoda
Family: Gonodactylidae
Genus: Gonodactylus
Species:
G. smithii
Binomial name
Gonodactylus smithii
Pocock, 1893  [1]

Gonodactylus smithii, also known as the purple spot mantis shrimp or Smith's mantis shrimp, is a species of the smasher type of mantis shrimp. [2] G. smithii are the first animals discovered to be capable of dynamic polarization vision. [3] They are identified by their distinctive meral spots ranging from maroon to purple with a white ring, though those that inhabit depths below 10 meters tend to be colored maroon. [4] They also have raptorial dactyles, specialized forelimbs that are pigmented green and red, and antennal scales that are yellow. [4]

Contents

Background

Gonodactylus smithii are aggressive benthic marine predators that exhibit highly specialized color vision. [5] On average, they are around 60 millimeters in length, but have been found to be as large as 380 millimeters. [5] [4] The morphology of both males and females are isometrically proportional to their respective body masses. [6] Their mass ranges between 10 and 300 grams, with the average being around 60 grams. [4] Their basal metabolic rate ranges from 0.0125 to 0.02 cm3.02/g/hr, with the average being around 0.0175 cm3.02/g/hr. [4]

Distribution

Gonodactylus smithii are found in tropical littoral zones in the Indo-Pacific Ocean, and widespread in Australia, India, and eastern Africa. [2] [5] They are also found in regions south of Japan and around Guam. [4] Gonodactylus smithii reside in coral reef flats in both shallow waters and low intertidal depths ranging from 1 to 60 meters, but are most commonly found in the low intertidal zone. [2] Gonodactylus smithii typically dwell in the cavities they create in either live coral or coral rubble. [4]

Reproduction

Gonodactylus smithii reproduce all year long, but breeding is more concentrated during warmer months. [4] They are generally monogamous, though some are polygynous. [4] Males usually pursue females in their native habitats. [5] Initially, males, using an external copulation organ, insert gonadopods into female gonadopores. [4] Sperm is released, with females holding the males briefly. [4] Females then release both the males and their eggs, with fertilization occurring. [4] Males typically leave after copulation and do not invest in the females nor their offspring. [4] Females are oviparous, laying eggs that eventually hatch. [4]

Life stages

Gonodactylus smithii have a bipartite life cycle. [7] They begin with a larval phase, during which dispersal occurs, then mature into an adult phase. [7] There are 7 larval stages, with the first 3 stages taking between 1 and 3 days, the fourth stage taking between 6 and 8 days, and the final 3 stages taking up to 38 days. [8]

Diet

Gonodactylus smithii utilize their smashing raptorial claws as a mechanism to catch prey. [4] The claws can easily shatter shells, stunning the prey. [4] Gonodactylus smithii are generally carnivorous, specifically preying on fish, molluscs, non-insect arthropods, crustaceans, bivalves, and gastropods. [4]

Movement

Gonodactylus smithii are capable of many signaling behaviors and exhibit offensive and defensive actions while doing so. [5] Offensive actions include pushing the telson into the domicile of the resident, grasping the body of another using maxillipeds, and using dactyls to pierce through another. [5] Defensive actions include simply avoiding, and bending the abdomen so that it brings the telson underneath and up to the front. [5]

Behavior

A behavior unique to Gonodactylus smithii is that they are capable of dynamic polarization vision. [3] Unlike other organisms, stomatopods only fixate their gaze on objects of interest from time to time. [3] They are able to focus their eyes with a series of rotations, and their eyes are capable of moving independently of the other. [3] One type of rotation they use is torsional rotation, in which their ability to see the polarization of light is amplified. [3] They rotate their eyes so that certain photoreceptors are aligned with the angle of polarization of a linearly polarized visual stimulus. [3] This allows them to isolate the contrast between the object of interest and its background. [3] The study of the eye structure of Gonodactylus smithii can generate more information on digital and visual storage capacity. [4]

Roles in ecosystem

Gonodactylus smithii are essential to their ecosystem as they provide habitats for other organisms. [4] The cavities that they create are left behind for other organisms to dwell in, and some host parasites, though this has led to the contracting of diseases in their shells. [4]

Bibliography

References

  1. "Species Gonodactylus smithii Pocock, 1893". Australian Faunal Directory . Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts. January 30, 2009. Retrieved April 15, 2010.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Yang, Mingqiu; Liu, Hongtao; Wang, Rong; Tan, Wei (2021-07-03). "The complete mitochondrial genome of Purple Spot Mantis Shrimp Gonodactylus smithii (Pocock, 1893)". Mitochondrial DNA Part B. 6 (7): 2028–2030. doi:10.1080/23802359.2021.1942272. ISSN   2380-2359. PMC   8218846 . PMID   34212086.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Daly, Ilse M.; How, Martin J.; Partridge, Julian C.; Temple, Shelby E.; Marshall, N. Justin; Cronin, Thomas W.; Roberts, Nicholas W. (November 2016). "Dynamic polarization vision in mantis shrimps". Nature Communications. 7 (1): 12140. doi:10.1038/ncomms12140. ISSN   2041-1723. PMC   4945877 . PMID   27401817.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 Luff, Josh (2019). "Gonodactylus smithii". Animal Diversity Web.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Cheroske, Alexander G.; Cronin, Thomas W.; Durham, Mary F.; Caldwell, Roy L. (July 2009). "Adaptive signaling behavior in stomatopods under varying light conditions". Marine and Freshwater Behaviour and Physiology. 42 (4): 219–232. doi:10.1080/10236240903169222. hdl: 11603/13458 . ISSN   1023-6244. S2CID   43326818.
  6. 1 2 McHenry, Matthew J.; Claverie, Thomas; Rosario, Michael V.; Patek, S. N. (2012-04-01). "Gearing for speed slows the predatory strike of a mantis shrimp" . Journal of Experimental Biology. 215 (7): 1231–1245. doi: 10.1242/jeb.061465 . ISSN   1477-9145. PMID   22399669. S2CID   25302134.
  7. 1 2 3 Barber, Paul; Boyce, Sarah L (2006-08-22). "Estimating diversity of Indo-Pacific coral reef stomatopods through DNA barcoding of stomatopod larvae". Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 273 (1597): 2053–2061. doi:10.1098/rspb.2006.3540. ISSN   0962-8452. PMC   1635474 . PMID   16846913.
  8. 1 2 Morgan, Steven G. (1987-01-01). "Reproduction and Larval Development of the Mantis Shrimp Gonodactylus Bredini (Crustacea: Stomatopoda) Maintained in the Laboratory" . Journal of Crustacean Biology. 7 (4): 595–618. doi:10.1163/193724087X00379. ISSN   0278-0372. S2CID   198256273.