Is it a Mantis?

[vermonter310]

I have a critter I can't really see all that well. What I can see are the two front legs. The ones that scoop food etcetera into it's mouth. they have small "fans" at the ends. Could this be a Mantis? It's the only portion of it I can see and every day there seems to be more clams broken open and empty. Should I remove the rock it's in and dip it ? What dip works best to remove these from there hiding places. The rock is on top so it's not a problem to get to I just don't want to kill the other life on the rock.

As always any and all help/input is appriciated.

Mike

 

[vermonter310]

I just got a better look at him. It appears to be a crab. a dark reddish brown with small black spots. ??

Help any ??

Should I remove him ???

thanks again

 

[Bang Guy]

Could be a Porcelain Crab. If so they are harmless filter feeders and pretty interesting.

Here's a pair of mine for reference:

 

[vermonter310]

Thats what it looks like all right.
In all the Porcelain Crab pictures I've seen they are generally very light in color.
How can I locate the clam cracker ??? Never seen it and only occasionally hear a light tapping. Usually only one tap sometimes two.

Any thoughts ?

Thanks for the ID, I feel better about that guy now.

Mike