mantis shrimp

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. See squilla.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. A stomatopodous crustacean of the family Squillidæ, as Squilla mantis or S. empusa: so called from the resemblance to the insect called mantis. See Gonodactylus, Squilla. Also called mantis-crab and locust-shrimp.
2. n. A læmodipodous crustacean of the family Caprellidæ, as Caprella linearis; a specter-shrimp: so called for the same reason as above.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. (Zoöl.) The Squilla, a tropical marine burrowing crustacean with large grasping appendages. Also called mantis crab and mantis prawn.

WordNet 3.0

1. n. tropical marine burrowing crustaceans with large grasping appendages