Gonodactylus smithii
- Usual depth1–37 m
- Water temperature15–29 °C
- Best monthsJuly, September, and November
- How commonRare
Photo credit: (c) Gabriel, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Gabriel · CC BY · iNaturalist
About this species
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. G. smithii are the first animals discovered to be capable of dynamic polarization vision. 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. They also have raptorial dactyles, specialized forelimbs that are pigmented green and red, and antennal scales that are yellow.
Text from the Wikipedia article “Gonodactylus smithii”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the article
Where and when
Where it has been recorded
Worldwide
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Best months
Worldwide (open data)
- January: 2 records
- February: 1 records
- March: 0 records
- April: 2 records
- May: 12 records
- June: 4 records
- July: 13 records
- August: 8 records
- September: 16 records
- October: 9 records
- November: 14 records
- December: 7 records
Depth and water temperature
Depth
Mostly recorded at 1–37 m · Deepest record: 50 m
Water temperature
Recorded in surface water of 15–29 °C
Photos
(c) Gabriel, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Gabriel · CC BY · iNaturalist 
(c) Gabriel, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist
Names and classification
Names in 1 more languages
- Simplified Chinese
- PERUANO come palomas
Other scientific names: Gonodactylus arabica, Gonodactylus minikoiensis
Similar species
Chiragra Mantis ShrimpGonodactylus chiragra
Green Marble Mantis ShrimpGonodactylus platysoma
Philippine mantis shrimpGonodactylaceus falcatus
Sources and credits
Names and taxonomy: WoRMS (CC BY 4.0) and the GBIF Backbone (CC BY 4.0). Photos: iNaturalist observers, each under the licence shown (CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA).
- Depth, temperature, months and maps: records from OBIS and GBIF under CC0 or CC BY.
- Descriptions: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA, each linked to its article.
- Conservation status as published by GBIF (IUCN Red List).
- 293 open-data records from 1927 to 2012.
- Species data updated November 3, 2026.
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