Mantophasmatodea
Encyclopedia
Mantophasmatodea is a suborder of carnivorous
African insect
s discovered in 2002, originally considered to be a new order, but since relegated to subordinal status, and comprising the single family Mantophasmatidae. It belongs, as Grylloblattidae
, to the order of Notoptera
.
is western South Africa
and Namibia
(Brandberg Massif), although a relict
population, and Eocene
fossils suggest a wider ancient distribution.
Members of the order are wingless even as adult
s, making them relatively difficult to identify. They resemble a mix between praying mantids and phasmid
s, and molecular evidence indicates that they are most closely related to the equally enigmatic group, Grylloblattodea, with which they have now been grouped together in the order Notoptera
. The gladiators initially were described from old museum specimens that originally were found in Namibia (Mantophasma zephyrum) and Tanzania (M. subsolanum), and from a 45-million-year-old specimen of Baltic
amber
(Raptophasma kerneggeri).
Live specimens were found in Namibia by an international expedition in early 2002; Tyrannophasma gladiator was found on the Brandberg Massif, and Mantophasma zephyrum was found on the Erongoberg Massif.
Sometimes the subfamilies and tribes are all raised to full family status.
Carnivore
A carnivore meaning 'meat eater' is an organism that derives its energy and nutrient requirements from a diet consisting mainly or exclusively of animal tissue, whether through predation or scavenging...
African insect
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
s discovered in 2002, originally considered to be a new order, but since relegated to subordinal status, and comprising the single family Mantophasmatidae. It belongs, as Grylloblattidae
Grylloblattidae
Grylloblattidae is a family of extremophile and wingless insects that live in the cold on top of mountains. It belongs, as Mantophasmatidae, to the order of Notoptera.-Overview:...
, to the order of Notoptera
Notoptera
The insect order Notoptera, a group first proposed in 1915, has been largely unused since its original conception, but in the most recent classification of the lineage of insects that includes the Grylloblattodea and Mantophasmatodea, the name was resurrected and redefined so as to give a single...
.
Overview
The most common vernacular name for this order is gladiators, although they also are called rock crawlers, heelwalkers, mantophasmids, and coloquially, mantos. Their modern centre of endemismEndemic (ecology)
Endemism is the ecological state of being unique to a defined geographic location, such as an island, nation or other defined zone, or habitat type; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsewhere. For example, all species of lemur are endemic to the...
is western South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
and Namibia
Namibia
Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia , is a country in southern Africa whose western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and east. It gained independence from South Africa on 21 March...
(Brandberg Massif), although a relict
Relict
A relict is a surviving remnant of a natural phenomenon.* In biology a relict is an organism that at an earlier time was abundant in a large area but now occurs at only one or a few small areas....
population, and Eocene
Eocene
The Eocene Epoch, lasting from about 56 to 34 million years ago , is a major division of the geologic timescale and the second epoch of the Paleogene Period in the Cenozoic Era. The Eocene spans the time from the end of the Palaeocene Epoch to the beginning of the Oligocene Epoch. The start of the...
fossils suggest a wider ancient distribution.
Members of the order are wingless even as adult
Adult
An adult is a human being or living organism that is of relatively mature age, typically associated with sexual maturity and the attainment of reproductive age....
s, making them relatively difficult to identify. They resemble a mix between praying mantids and phasmid
Phasmatodea
The Phasmatodea are an order of insects, whose members are variously known as stick insects , walking sticks or stick-bugs , phasmids, ghost insects and leaf insects...
s, and molecular evidence indicates that they are most closely related to the equally enigmatic group, Grylloblattodea, with which they have now been grouped together in the order Notoptera
Notoptera
The insect order Notoptera, a group first proposed in 1915, has been largely unused since its original conception, but in the most recent classification of the lineage of insects that includes the Grylloblattodea and Mantophasmatodea, the name was resurrected and redefined so as to give a single...
. The gladiators initially were described from old museum specimens that originally were found in Namibia (Mantophasma zephyrum) and Tanzania (M. subsolanum), and from a 45-million-year-old specimen of Baltic
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...
amber
Amber
Amber is fossilized tree resin , which has been appreciated for its color and natural beauty since Neolithic times. Amber is used as an ingredient in perfumes, as a healing agent in folk medicine, and as jewelry. There are five classes of amber, defined on the basis of their chemical constituents...
(Raptophasma kerneggeri).
Live specimens were found in Namibia by an international expedition in early 2002; Tyrannophasma gladiator was found on the Brandberg Massif, and Mantophasma zephyrum was found on the Erongoberg Massif.
Classification
The most recent classification recognizes numerous genera, including fossils:- Basal and incertae sedisIncertae sedis, is a term used to define a taxonomic group where its broader relationships are unknown or undefined. Uncertainty at specific taxonomic levels is attributed by , , and similar terms.-Examples:*The fossil plant Paradinandra suecica could not be assigned to any...
- Genus †Raptophasma Zompro, 2001
- Genus †Adicophasma Engel & Grimaldi, 2004
- Genus †Ensiferophasma Zompro, 2005 (may not belong to Mantophasmatodea)
- Subfamily Tanzaniophasmatinae
- Genus Tanzaniophasma Klass, Picker, Damgaard, van Noort, Tojo, 2003
- Subfamily Mantophasmatinae
- Tribe Tyrannophasmatini
- Genus Praedatophasma Zompro & Adis, 2002
- Genus Tyrannophasma Zompro, 2003
- Tribe Mantophasmatini Zompro, Klass, Kristensen, Adis, 2002 (paraphyletic?)
- Genus Chrisphasmanae Zompro, Klass, Adis, 2001
- Genus Mantophasma Zompro, Klass, Kristensen, Adis, 2002
- Genus Sclerophasma Klass, Picker, Damgaard, van Noort, Tojo, 2003
- Tribe Austrophasmatini Klass, Picker, Damgaard, van Noort, Tojo, 2003
- Genus Viridiphasma Eberhard, Picker, Klass, 2011
- Genus Austrophasma Klass, Picker, Damgaard, van Noort, Tojo, 2003
- Genus Hemilobophasma Klass, Picker, Damgaard, van Noort, Tojo, 2003
- Genus Karoophasma Klass, Picker, Damgaard, van Noort, Tojo, 2003
- Genus Lobatophasma Klass, Picker, Damgaard, van Noort, Tojo, 2003 (formerly Lobophasma)
- At least 3 species of one or more new genera
- Tribe Tyrannophasmatini
Sometimes the subfamilies and tribes are all raised to full family status.