[3] Stomatopods are distinguished by their unique hunting adaptations, the most obvious being their second maxilliped modified into a powerful raptorial claw.

[5] By hiding in sandy burrows, Lysiosquillina maculata strike soft-bodied evasive prey that swim by such as small fish and malacostracans.

However, for "spearers" like the zebra mantis shrimp, it is more advantageous to have greater reach when targeting prey with their ambush attack strategy.

[6] In addition, it has been shown that larger mantis shrimp species strike more slowly, resulting in the slower speeds displayed by Lysiosquillina maculata.

[7] The class of crustaceans called Stomatopods, which includes Lysiosquillina maculata has the most complex visual receptors in the animal kingdom.

[8] In addition, stomatopods have a tripartite cornea which contains upper and lower halves, separated by a middle band made up of ommatidia.

All living stomatopods belong to the suborder Unipeltata which contains seven distinct superfamilies of mantis shrimp, made up of almost 500 species.

Using molecular clocks, research has shown that around 340 million years ago, stomatopods branched off from their closest crustacean relatives.