Identification Resources
Gonodactylus chiragra can be identified by its dark olive to light cream colour which is usually mottled. It is the largest of the Gonodactylus family. It can be mistaken for Gonodactylus platysoma but can be differentiated as it does not have dark blue and orange patches on the side of its fifth abdominal segment as does G. platysoma. The picture below shows a close up of the dorsal mottled colour of G. chiragra (Debelius 2001).
G. chiragra is also a ‘smasher’ mantis shrimp, which means that they lack forwardly directed spines on the finger of their claw and instead the basal part of this finger is swollen. Below shows this swollen raptorial appendage.
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