Mantophasmatidae Explained

Mantophasmatidae is a family of carnivorous wingless insects within the monotypic order Mantophasmatodea, which was discovered in Africa in 2001.[1] [2] Recent evidence indicates a sister group relationship with Grylloblattidae (classified in the order Grylloblattodea),[3] [4] and Arillo and Engel have combined the two groups into a single order, Notoptera, with Grylloblattodea and Mantophasmatodea ranked as suborders.[5]

Overview

The most common vernacular name for this order is gladiators, although they also are called rock crawlers, heelwalkers, mantophasmids, and colloquially, mantos.[6] Their modern centre of endemism is western South Africa and Namibia (Brandberg Massif),[7] although the modern relict population of Tanzaniophasma subsolana in Tanzania and Eocene fossils suggest a wider ancient distribution.

Mantophasmatodea are wingless even as adults, making them relatively difficult to identify. They resemble a cross between praying mantises and phasmids, and molecular evidence indicates that they are most closely related to the equally enigmatic group Grylloblattodea. Initially, the gladiators were described from old museum specimens that originally were found in Namibia (Mantophasma zephyra) and Tanzania (M. subsolana), 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 zephyra was found on the Erongoberg Massif.[8]

Since then, a number of new genera and species have been discovered, the most recent being two new genera, Kuboesphasma and Minutophasma, each with a single species, described from Richtersveld in South Africa in 2018.[9]

Biology

Mantophasmatids are wingless carnivores. During courtship, they communicate using vibrations transmitted through the ground or substrate.[10]

Classification

The classification of Mantophasmatodea in Arillo & Engel (2006) recognizes numerous genera, including fossils, in a single family Manophasmatidae:

Some taxonomists assign full family status to the subfamilies and tribes, and sub-ordinal status to the family. In total, there are 21 extant species described as of 2018.[9]

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. K.-D.. Klass. O.. Zompro. N.P.. Kristensen. J.. Adis. Mantophasmatodea: a new insect order with extant members in the afrotropics. Science. 296. 2002. 1456–1459. 10.1126/science.1069397.
  2. Adis. J.. O.. Zompro. E.. Moombolah-Goagoses. E.. Marais. November 2002. Gladiators: A new order of insect. Scientific American. 287. 5. 60–65. 16 August 2024.
  3. Terry. M.D.. M.F.. Whiting. 2005. Mantophasmatodea and phylogeny of the lower neopterous insects. Cladistics. 21. 3. 240–257. 10.1111/j.1096-0031.2005.00062.x. free.
  4. S. L.. Cameron. S. C.. Barker. M. F.. Whiting . 2006 . Mitochondrial genomics and the new insect order Mantophasmatodea . . 38 . 274–279 . 10.1016/j.ympev.2005.09.020 . 16321547 . 1.
  5. Arillo. A.. Engel. M.S.. 2006. Rock crawlers in Baltic amber (Notoptera: Mantophasmatodea). American Museum Novitates. 3539. 1–10.
  6. Web site: Biodiversity Explorer: Mantophasmatodea . Iziko . 30 June 2018.
  7. Zompro . O. . Adis . J. . Weitschat . W. . 2002 . A review of the order Mantophasmatodea (Insecta). . Zoologischer Anzeiger . 241 . 3 . 269–279. 10.1078/0044-5231-00080 .
  8. Zompro . O. . Adis . J. . Bragg . P.E. . Naskrecki . P. . Meakin . K. . Wittneben . M. . Saxe . V. . 2003 . A new genus and species of Mantophasmatidae (Insecta: Mantophasmatodea) from the Brandberg Massif, Namibia, with notes on behaviour . Cimbebasia . 19 . 13–24 .
  9. Wipfler . B . Theska . T . Predel . R . 2018 . Mantophasmatodea from the Richtersveld in South Africa with description of two new genera and species . ZooKeys . 746 . 137–160 . 10.3897/zookeys.746.14885. 29674900 . 5904538 . free .
  10. Randall. J. A.. 2014. Vibrational Communication: Spiders to Kangaroo Rats. Biocommunication of Animals. 103–133. 10.1007/978-94-007-7414-8_7. 978-94-007-7413-1.
  11. Huang. Di-ying. Nel. André. Zompro. Oliver. Waller. Alain. 2008-06-11. Mantophasmatodea now in the Jurassic. Naturwissenschaften. 95. 10. 947–952. 10.1007/s00114-008-0412-x. 18545982. 35408984. 0028-1042.
  12. Zompro. O.. 2005. Inter- and intra-ordinal relationships of the Mantophasmatodea, with comments on the phylogeny of polyneopteran orders (Insecta: Polyneoptera). Mitteilungen aus dem Geologisch-Paläontologischen Institut der Universität Hamburg. 89. 85–116.
  13. Eberhard. M.J.B.. M.D.. Picker. K.D.. Klass. 2011. Sympatry in Mantophasmatodea, with the description of a new species and phylogenetic considerations. Organisms Diversity & Evolution. 11. 1. 43–59. 10.1007/s13127-010-0037-8.