Pseudosquilla ciliata
Pseudosquilla ciliata, the common mantis shrimp, is a species of mantis shrimp, known by common names including rainbow mantis shrimp and false mantis shrimp. It is widespread in the tropical Indo-Pacific region and in both the western and eastern Atlantic Ocean.
Description
P. ciliata can be distinguished from other closely related mantis shrimps by several characteristics; the eye is cylindrical with a hemispherical cornea; the rostral plate lacks a small spine at the front; the carapace does not bear large black spots; the telson has three keel-like ridges on either side of a central ridge; and the base of each uropod terminates in two slender flattened spines, the innermost of which is the shorter.The colour of P. ciliata varies greatly depending on an individual's environment; for example, P. ciliata living in a sea grass flat will often turn green, while one living in coralline algae will often turn red. P. ciliata may reach a total length of. The colour can range from yellowish to near black and may be plain, marbled or striped. There is often a dark patch on the last thoracic segment and first abdominal segment and another one on the edge of the telson just behind the intermediate spine on abdominal segment six.