Is this hitchhiker a pistol or mantis?

Don't think it is a mantis, but this guy dropped out of a small rock that a shroom is attached to that I placed in my tank. I removed him before he got away and have him in a holding facility till I can ID him. Bad pic and will try another later, but he is 1/2 inch long and his left pincher is enlarged with green claw. Thanks.

 

With a description like that, I don't need to see a better picture It's most likely a pistol if one claw is significantly larger than the other.

 

I agree with it being a pistol. Nice hitch hiker. Now you can pick a goby as its partner

 

Alright, thanks, that's what I thought. I have a pistol in this tank already. Do I need to put this one in another? I would hate to put it in the existing tank and have it killed by the current resident.
I'm glad that's what it turned out to be. I got a small red mushroom at $15 from a LFS that attatched to a small rock that the shrimp came out of and feel that I didn't get my money worth as another LFS charges $5. So now I feel as though I did alright.
Why did I buy it if I didn't like the price? I'm a reefer like you. LOL

 

How big is the tank? If 2 pistol shrimp are in the same tank they will get into fights. When they do they will use their pistol's / cannon's on each other. Often the losing Pistol will lose it's pistol and it's tiny pincher will turn into a new pistol and the missing limb will turn into a new pincher.
If the tank is small I would put it in a new tank or maybe sell it back to that same lfs for 15 back and not let them know it was their original hitchhiker

 

Thanks. I did some checking on the net and came to the same conclusion. I don't think I could part with it though as it is just too cute. I have it in a makeshift holding facility untill tomarrow when I will go back to the LFS and buy a 3-6gl nano, sand, rock, etc, spending I'm sure over $100+ so it can have a tank to itself and grow.
I wonder if I did get such a good deal after all?

 

The big claw is a dead giveaway. Also, they are quite common hitchikers.

 

Heres one of the best sites to id a mantis shrimp

The Lurker's Guide to Stomatopods - Mantis Shrimp

everything pistol shrimp

http://www.everything2.com/index.pl?node_id=1548342