Mantophasmatidae

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Gladiators
Fossil range: Eocene - Recent
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Subclass: Pterygota
Infraclass: Neoptera
Superorder: Exopterygota
Order: Notoptera
Suborder: Mantophasmatodea
Family: Mantophasmatidae
Subfamilies, tribes

see text

Mantophasmatodea is a suborder of African carnivorous insects discovered in 2002, originally considered to be a new order, but since relegated to subordinal status, and comprising the single family Mantophasmatidae. The most common vernacular name for this order is gladiators, although they are also called rock crawlers, heelwalkers, mantophasmids, and, coloquially, mantos. Their modern centre of endemism is western South Africa and Namibia (Brandberg Massif[2]), 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 equally enigmatic group Grylloblattodea[1], with which they have now been grouped together in the order Notoptera. The gladiators were initially described from live specimens found in Namibia (Mantophasma zephyrum and M. subsolanum) and from a 45-million-year-old specimen of Baltic amber (Raptophasma kerneggeri).

[edit] Classification

The most recent classification[2] recognizes numerous genera, including fossils:

  • Family Mantophasmatidae
        • Genus †Raptophasma Zompro, 2001
        • Genus †Adicophasma Engel & Grimaldi, 2004
        • Genus †Ensiferophasma Zompro, 2005
    • Subfamily Tanzaniophasmatinae
        • Genus Tanzaniophasma Klass et al., 2003
    • Subfamily Mantophasmatinae
      • Tribe Tyrannophasmatini
        • Genus Praedatophasma Zompro & Adis In Zompro et al., 2002
        • Genus Tyrannophasma Zompro In Zompro et al., 2004
      • Tribe Mantophasmatini
        • Genus Mantophasma Zompro et al. In Klass et al., 2002
        • Genus Sclerophasma Klass et al., 2003
      • Tribe Austrophasmatini
        • Genus Austrophasma Klass et al., 2003
        • Genus Hemilobophasma Klass et al., 2003
        • Genus Karoophasma Klass et al., 2003
        • Genus Lobophasma Klass et al., 2003

[edit] References

  1. ^ 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. 
  2. ^ Arillo, A. & M. Engel (2006) Rock Crawlers in Baltic Amber (Notoptera: Mantophasmatodea). American Museum Novitates 3539:1-10[1]

[edit] External links