Threats
Gonodactylids are susceptible to local population crashes. G. chiragra inhabits an unpredictably disturbed shallow marine environment in the intertidal zone, which is exposed to local catastrophies such as storms (Reaka 1980). One study found that after being hit by a series of storms, a habitat once abundant with stomatopods, was afterwards devoid of their occurrence (Reaka 1980). It was also discovered that a rainfall event resulted in a massive reef kill, including stomatopods (Reaka 1980). From this and numerous other similar studies it is evident that these inhabitants live in an easily disrupted environment and are thus vulnerable and threatened by the effects of storm and weather events.
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