Mantophasmatidae is a

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

of carnivorous wingless insects within the order

Notoptera The wingless insect order Notoptera, a group first proposed in 1915, had been largely unrecognized since its original conception, until resurrected in 2004. As now defined, the order comprises five families, three of them known only from fossils ...

, which was discovered in Africa in 2001.K.-D. Klass, O. Zompro, N.P. Kristensen, J. Adis. Mantophasmatodea: a new insect order with extant members in the afrotropics Science, 296 (2002), pp. 1456–1459Adis, J., O. Zompro, E. Moombolah-Goagoses, and E. Marais. 2002. Gladiators: A new order of insect. ''Scientific American'' 287:60-65. Originally, the group was regarded as an order in its own right, and named Mantophasmatodea, but, using recent evidence indicating a

sister group In phylogenetics, a sister group or sister taxon, also called an adelphotaxon, comprises the closest relative(s) of another given unit in an evolutionary tree. Definition The expression is most easily illustrated by a cladogram: Taxon A and t ...

relationship with

Grylloblattidae Grylloblattidae, commonly known as the icebugs, or ice crawlers, is a family of extremophile (psychrophile) and wingless insects that live in the cold on top of mountains and the edges of glaciers. They belong, along with Mantophasmatidae (rock c ...

(formerly classified in the order

Grylloblattodea Grylloblattidae, commonly known as the icebugs, or ice crawlers, is a family of extremophile (psychrophile) and wingless insects that live in the cold on top of mountains and the edges of glaciers. They belong, along with Mantophasmatidae (rock c ...

),Terry, M.D., and M.F. Whiting. 2005. Mantophasmatodea and phylogeny of the lower neopterous insects. ''Cladistics'' 21(3): 240–257. Arillo and Engel have combined the two groups into a single order,

Overview

The most common vernacular name for this order is gladiators, although they also are called rock crawlers, heelwalkers, mantophasmids, and colloquially, mantos. Their modern centre of

endemism Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

is western

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

and

Namibia Namibia (, ), officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in Southern Africa. Its western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Zambia and Angola to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and ea ...

(

Brandberg Massif The Brandberg ( Damara: Dâures; hz, Omukuruvaro) is Namibia's highest mountain. Location and extent Brandberg Mountain is located in former Damaraland, now Erongo, in the northwestern Namib Desert, near the coast, and covers an area of app ...

), although the modern relict population of ''

Tanzaniophasma subsolana ''Tanzaniophasma'' is a genus of insects in the family Mantophasmatidae. It is a monotypic genus consisting of the species ''Tanzaniophasma subsolana'', which is endemic to Tanzania Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzan ...

'' in

Tanzania Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands and ...

and

Eocene The Eocene ( ) Epoch is a geological epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from about 56 to 33.9 million years ago (mya). It is the second epoch of the Paleogene Period (geology), Period in the modern Cenozoic Era (geology), Era. The name ''Eocene' ...

fossils suggest a wider ancient distribution. Mantophasmatodea are wingless even as

adult An adult is a human or other animal that has reached full growth. In human context, the term ''adult'' has meanings associated with social and legal concepts. In contrast to a " minor", a legal adult is a person who has attained the age of major ...

s, 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

. Initially, the gladiators were described from old museum specimens that originally were found in Namibia (''

Mantophasma zephyra ''Mantophasma zephyra'' is a species of insect in the family Mantophasmatidae. It is endemic to Namibia Namibia (, ), officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in Southern Africa. Its western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares ...

'') and Tanzania ('' M. subsolana''), and from a 45-million-year-old specimen of

Baltic Baltic may refer to: Peoples and languages * Baltic languages, a subfamily of Indo-European languages, including Lithuanian, Latvian and extinct Old Prussian *Balts (or Baltic peoples), ethnic groups speaking the Baltic languages and/or originati ...

amber Amber is fossilized tree resin that has been appreciated for its color and natural beauty since Neolithic times. Much valued from antiquity to the present as a gemstone, amber is made into a variety of decorative objects."Amber" (2004). In Ma ...

('' Raptophasma kerneggeri''). Live specimens were found in Namibia by an international expedition in early 2002; ''

Tyrannophasma gladiator ''Tyrannophasma'' is a genus of insects in the family Mantophasmatidae. It is a monotypic genus consisting of the species ''Tyrannophasma gladiator'', which is endemic to the Brandberg Massif of central Namibia Namibia (, ), officially the ...

'' was found on the

, and ''

'' was found on the Erongoberg Massif. Since then, a number of new genera and species have been discovered, the most recent being two new genera, ''

Kuboesphasma ''Kuboesphasma'' is a genus of insects in the family Mantophasmatidae. It is a monotypic genus consisting of the species ''Kuboesphasma compactum''. Its type locality is Kuboes, Richtersveld The Richtersveld is a desert landscape characteris ...

'' and ''

Minutophasma ''Minutophasma'' is a genus of insects in the family Mantophasmatidae. It is a monotypic genus consisting of the species ''Minutophasma redelinghuysense''. Its type locality is located slightly to the north of Eksteenfontein, Richtersveld Th ...

'', each with a single species, described from

Richtersveld The Richtersveld is a desert landscape characterised by rugged kloofs and high mountains, situated in the north-western corner of South Africa’s Northern Cape province. It is full of changing scenery from flat, sandy, coastal plains, to crag ...

in 2018.

Biology

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

Classification

The most recent classification recognizes numerous genera, including fossils: Gladiator

* Basal and '' incertae sedis'' ** Genus †'' Raptophasma'' Zompro, 2001

Baltic amber The Baltic region is home to the largest known deposit of amber, called Baltic amber or succinite. It was produced sometime during the Eocene epoch, but exactly when is controversial. It has been estimated that these forests created more than 1 ...

** Genus †'' Adicophasma'' Engel & Grimaldi, 2004 Baltic amber, Eocene **Genus †'' Juramantophasma'' Huang ''et al,'' 2008

Daohugou Bed The Haifanggou Formation (), also known as the Jiulongshan Formation (), is a fossil-bearing rock deposit located near Daohugou () village of Ningcheng County, in Inner Mongolia, northeastern China. The formation consists of coarse conglomerates ...

, China, Middle Jurassic ( Callovian) ** Genus ?†'' Ensiferophasma'' Zompro, 2005 (assignment to Mantophasmatodea considered dubious) * Subfamily Tanzaniophasmatinae ** Genus ''

Tanzaniophasma ''Tanzaniophasma'' is a genus of insects in the family Mantophasmatidae. It is a monotypic genus consisting of the species ''Tanzaniophasma subsolana'', which is endemic to Tanzania Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzan ...

'' Klass, Picker, Damgaard, van Noort, Tojo, 2003 – Tanzania *** Species ''

'' (Zompro, Klass, Kristensen, & Adis 2002) * Subfamily Mantophasmatinae ** Tribe Tyrannophasmatini *** Genus '' Praedatophasma'' Zompro & Adis, 2002 – Namibia **** Species '' Praedatophasma maraisi'' Zompro & Adis, 2002 *** Genus '' Tyrannophasma'' Zompro, 2003 – Namibia **** Species ''

'' Zompro, 2003 ** Tribe Mantophasmatini Zompro, Klass, Kristensen, Adis, 2002 (

paraphyletic In taxonomy (general), taxonomy, a group is paraphyletic if it consists of the group's most recent common ancestor, last common ancestor and most of its descendants, excluding a few Monophyly, monophyletic subgroups. The group is said to be pa ...

?) *** Genus '' Mantophasma'' Zompro, Klass, Kristensen, Adis, 2002 – Namibia **** Species '' Mantophasma gamsbergense'' Zompro & Adis, 2006 **** Species '' Mantophasma kudubergense'' Zompro & Adis, 2006 **** Species ''

Mantophasma omatakoense ''Mantophasma omatakoense'' is a species of insect in the family Mantophasmatidae. It is endemic to Namibia. Its type locality is Omatako Farm, near the Omatako Mountains, between Otjiwarongo and Okahandja at . References

Mantophasmatid ...

'' Zompro & Adis, 2006 **** Species ''

'' Zompro, Klass, Kristensen, & Adis 2002 *** Genus '' Pachyphasma'' Wipfler, Pohl, & Predel, 2012 – Namibia **** Species '' Pachyphasma brandbergense'' Wipfler, Pohl, & Predel, 2012 *** Genus '' Sclerophasma'' Klass, Picker, Damgaard, van Noort, Tojo, 2003 – Namibia **** Species '' Sclerophasma paresisense'' Klass, Picker, Damgaard, van Noort, & Tojo 2003 ** Tribe Austrophasmatini Klass, Picker, Damgaard, van Noort, Tojo, 2003 *** Genus '' Austrophasma'' Klass, Picker, Damgaard, van Noort, Tojo, 2003 – South Africa **** Species '' Austrophasma caledonense'' Klass, Picker, Damgaard, van Noort & Tojo, 2003 **** Species '' Austrophasma gansbaaiense'' Klass, Picker, Damgaard, van Noort & Tojo, 2003 **** Species '' Austrophasma rawsonvillense'' Klass, Picker, Damgaard, van Noort & Tojo, 2003 *** Genus '' Hemilobophasma'' Klass, Picker, Damgaard, van Noort, Tojo, 2003 – South Africa **** Species '' Hemilobophasma montaguense'' Klass, Picker, Damgaard, van Noort & Tojo, 2003 *** Genus '' Karoophasma'' Klass, Picker, Damgaard, van Noort, Tojo, 2003 – South Africa **** Species '' Karoophasma biedouwense'' Klass, Picker, Damgaard, van Noort & Tojo, 2003 **** Species '' Karoophasma botterkloofense'' Klass, Picker, Damgaard, van Noort & Tojo, 2003 *** Genus ''

'' Wipfler, Theska & Predel, 2018 – South Africa **** Species '' Kuboesphasma compactum'' Wipfler, Theska & Predel, 2018 *** Genus '' Lobatophasma'' Klass, Picker, Damgaard, van Noort, Tojo, 2003 (formerly ''Lobophasma'') – South Africa **** Species '' Lobatophasma redelinghuysense'' Klass, Picker, Damgaard, van Noort & Tojo, 2003 *** Genus ''

'' Wipfler, Theska & Predel, 2018 – South Africa **** Species '' Minutophasma richtersveldense'' Wipfler, Theska & Predel, 2018 *** Genus '' Namaquaphasma'' Klass, Picker, Damgaard, van Noort, Tojo, 2003 – South Africa **** Species '' Namaquaphasma ookiepense'' Klass, Picker, Damgaard, van Noort, Tojo, 2003 *** Genus '' Striatophasma'' Wipfler, Pohl & Predel, 2012 – Namibia **** Species '' Striatophasma naukluftense'' Wipfler, Pohl & Predel, 2012 *** Genus '' Viridiphasma'' Eberhard, Picker, Klass, 2011Eberhard, MJB, MD Picker and KD Klass. (2011). Sympatry in Mantophasmatodea, with the description of a new species and phylogenetic considerations. Organisms Diversity & Evolution 11(1): 43-59. – South Africa **** Species '' Viridiphasma clanwilliamense'' Eberhard, Picker, Klass, 2011 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.

References

External links

Mantophasmatodea - A new order of insects

* ttp://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/2011/04/26/man-discovers-a-new-life-form-at-a-south-african-truck-stop Man discovers a new life-form at a South African truck stop {{Taxonbar, from=Q13560459 Insect families Insects of Namibia Insects of South Africa

Overview

Biology

Classification

See also

References

External links