Mantophasmatidae
The insect family Mantophasmatidae is the sole family in its order. It is a group of African carnivorous insects discovered in 2002.[1] The most common vernacular name for this order is gladiators, but it is not well known under any name.
| Gladiators Temporal range: Jurassic–Recent
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| File:Mantophasma zephyra Zompro et al 2002.jpg | |
| Mantophasma zephyra | |
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| Order: | Notoptera
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| Suborder: | Mantophasmatodea
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| Family: | Mantophasmatidae
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Their modern centre of endemism is western South Africa and Namibia, although a relict population and Eocene fossils 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 mantids and phasmids. Molecular evidence indicates that they are most closely related to a family known as the Grylloblattidae.[2]
The mantophasmids were originally described from old museum specimens that found in Namibia (Mantophasma zephyra) and Tanzania (M. subsolana), and from a 45-million-year-old specimen of Baltic amber (Raptophasma kerneggeri).
The most recent classification recognizes numerous genera, including fossils.[3]
Mantophasmatidae Media
Unidentified mantophasmid species in the Zoologische Staatssammlung München
References
- ↑ Primack, Richard B. (2006). Essentials of conservation biology (4th ed.). Sinauer Associates, Inc. p. 62. ISBN 978-0-87893-720-2.
- ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Identifiers at line 630: attempt to index field 'known_free_doi_registrants_t' (a nil value).
- ↑ Arill, A. & M. Engel 2006. Rock crawlers in Baltic amber (Notoptera: Mantophasmatodea). American Museum Novitates 3539:1-10[1] Archived 2008-12-17 at the Wayback Machine