Zebra Mantis Shrimp (Lysiosquillina maculata): Breeding Notes

Lysiosquillina maculata is the world's largest mantis shrimp, a sand-burrowing spearer. In the wild it is socially monogamous with maternal egg care; it is not bred in home aquaria.

Overview

Lysiosquillina maculata is the largest mantis shrimp in the world, reaching up to 40 cm. It ranges across the Indo-Pacific from East Africa to the Galápagos and Hawaiian Islands and lives in sandy burrows from which it ambushes prey. It is a spearing type that hunts soft-bodied, evasive prey such as small fish and malacostracans.

Sexing

Males have larger raptorial appendages, although males and females reach similar overall body sizes. The species forms male–female pairs that share a burrow.

Spawning & Eggs/Larvae

L. maculata displays social monogamy with maternal egg care: the female tends the eggs while the pair shares the costly, long-lived burrow. In stomatopods the hatched larvae enter the plankton, where they may remain for up to three months before settling. Stomatopods can breed many times over a long life.

Common Challenges

The huge adult size, deep paired burrow and lengthy planktonic larval stage place captive reproduction well beyond hobbyist scope. Specimens in the trade originate from wild collection.