Mantises

Fossil mantises

Mantises are thought to have evolved from cockroach-like ancestors. Some of the earliest confidently identified mantis fossils date to the Early Cretaceous, although the Jurassic taxon Lovec was reported in 2024 from the Upper Jurassic Karabastau Formation. Fossils of the group are rare: by 2022, 37 fossil species are known. Fossil mantises, including one from Japan with spines on the front legs as in modern mantises, have been found in Cretaceous amber. Most fossils in amber are nymphs; compression fossils (in rock) include adults. Fossil mantises from the Crato Formation in Brazil include the 10 mm (0.39 in) long Santanmantis axelrodi, described in 2003; as in modern mantises, the front legs were adapted for catching prey. Well-preserved specimens yield details as small as 5 μm through X-ray computed tomography. Extinct families and genera include: