Mantophasmatodea
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Austrophasmatidae |
Mantophasmatodea is an order of African carnivorous insects discovered in 2002, the first new insect order to be described since 1914. The most common vernacular name for this order is gladiators, although they are also called mantophasmids, mantos and heelwalkers. Their modern centre of endemism is western South Africa and Namibia, although a relict population and Eocene fossil suggest a wider ancient distribution.
Members of the order are wingless even as adults, making them relatively difficult to identify. They resemble a mix between praying mantises and phasmids, and molecular evidence indicates that they are most closely related to the phasmids and the equally enigmatic order Grylloblattodea [1]. The gladiators were initially described from live specimens found in Namibia (Mantophasma zephyra and M. subsolana) and from a 45-million-year-old specimen of Baltic amber (Rhaptophasma kerneggeri).
The authors of the paper describing the new order [2] note that "it cannot at present be categorically excluded" that the two Mantophasma specimens are of the same species, with the size difference reflecting sexual dimorphism, but they consider this unlikely, because of the wide geographical separation of the specimens.
[edit] Classification
The three initial species of gladiators were classified as follows:
- Family Mantophasmatidae
- Mantophasma zephyra — west wind gladiator
- Mantophasma subsolana — east wind gladiator
- †Rhaptophasma kerneggeri
However, additional specimens and genetic studies have produced several new species identifications, including splitting all three of these species into different families:
- Family Tanzaniophasmatidae
- Tanzaniophasma subsolana — east wind gladiator
- Family: Mantophasmatidae
- Mantophasma zephyra — west wind gladiator
- Sclerophasma paresisensis
- Family: Austrophasmatidae
- Austrophasma caledonensis
- Austrophasma gansbaaiensis
- Austrophasma rawsonvillensis
- Lobophasma redelinghuysensis
- Hemilobophasma montaguensis
- Karoophasma biedouwensis
- Karoophasma botterkloofensis
- Namaquaphasma ookiepensis
- Incertae sedis
- †Rhaptophasma kerneggeri
- Praedatophasma maraisi
- Tyrannophasma gladiator
[edit] References
- ^ S. L. Cameron, S. C. Barker & M. F. Whiting (2006). Mitochondrial genomics and the new insect order Mantophasmatodea. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 38: 274–279. DOI:10.1016/j.ympev.2005.09.020.
- ^ K.-D. Klass, O. Zompro, N. P. Kristensen & J. Adis (2002). Mantophasmatodea: a new insect order with extant members in the Afrotropics. Science 296: 1456–1459.
