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Order: Mantophasmatodea home page
Mantophasmatodea (Heelwalkers):
diversity and taxonomic history
There are currently 13
described extant species placed in 10 genera and three families. The order was
described and the first
extant species described in 2002 from Namibia and Tanzania and placed in the family Mantophasmatidae
(Klass
et al. 2002). A fossil species from Baltic Amber was described a
year earlier (Zompro et al. 2001),
but the species' higher taxonomic affinities were left undecided. Subsequently a further two species were described from Namibia (Zompro
& Adis 2002; Zompro et al. 2003) and included in
Mantophasmatidae. Five new genera and eight new species collected in South
Africa, and another new genus and species from Namibia were described in 2003 (Klass
et al. 2003). Based on DNA molecular analyses and genitalic
morphology the higher classification within the order was revised and two new
families (Tanzaniophasmatidae
and Austrophasmatidae)
were also erected (Klass
et al. 2003), the latter to accommodate the South African species.
Lack of available information concerning genitalic morphology and molecular data
for three species (Rhaptophasma kerneggeri; Praedatophasma maraisi;
and Tyrannophasma gladiator) has meant that they could not be
accommodated within the current classification and for the time being are listed
under Family inquirendo indicating that their placement at family level is
unresolved.
Go to
classification of Mantophasmatodea.
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Web page development and text by Simon
van Noort (Iziko South African Museum) and Mike
Picker (University of Cape Town) |