Peacock Mantis Shrimp (Odontodactylus scyllarus): Breeding Notes

Odontodactylus scyllarus is a burrowing Indo-Pacific smasher stomatopod. It is not bred in home aquaria; females tend eggs in the burrow and the larvae spend weeks as plankton.

Overview

Odontodactylus scyllarus is a smasher-type stomatopod of the Indo-Pacific, ranging from the Marianas and East Africa south to KwaZulu-Natal. It reaches 3–18 cm and digs U-shaped burrows in loose substrate near reef bases at depths of 3–40 m. It is a solitary, agile predator that delivers blunt-force strikes to gastropods, crustaceans and bivalves.

Sexing

Reliable external sexing of O. scyllarus is not documented in the sources reviewed. In stomatopods generally, mating and egg care occur within the burrow, so sex is rarely confirmed outside breeding observations.

Spawning & Eggs/Larvae

In stomatopods, eggs are either laid and kept in the burrow or carried under the female's tail until they hatch. After hatching the offspring may spend up to three months as plankton before settling to a benthic life. Mantis shrimp are long-lived and can have 20–30 breeding episodes over a lifetime.

Common Challenges

The long planktonic larval phase, solitary and aggressive nature, and need for an individual burrow make captive reproduction impractical for hobbyists. These animals are kept, if at all, only in dedicated species-only systems.