Mantophasmatidae is a family of carnivorous wingless insects in southern Africa which are placed within the order or suborder Mantophasmatodea. They were discovered in 2001. They are the sister group of the Grylloblattidae, classified in the order or suborder Grylloblattodea.

Arillo and Engel have combined the Grylloblattodea and Mantophasmatodea into a single order, Notoptera, with the two groups ranked as suborders. Alternatively, Grylloblattodea and Mantophasmatodea are considered orders of a clade Xenonomia. Their modern centre of endemism is western South Africa and Namibia (Brandberg Massif), 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 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.

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.

Biology

Mantophasmatids are wingless carnivores. During courtship, they communicate using vibrations transmitted through the ground or substrate. Both males and females have one-segmented cerci. During copulation, the male uses his cerci to grasp the female after bending his flexible abdomen around her right side, and mating can last for up to three days.

Classification

The classification of Mantophasmatodea in Arillo & Engel (2006) – Daohugou Bed, China, Middle Jurassic (Callovian)

  • Genus ?†Ensiferophasma <small>Zompro, 2005</small> – Baltic amber, Eocene (assignment to Mantophasmatodea considered dubious)
  • Subfamily Tanzaniophasmatinae <small>Klass, Picker, Damgaard, van Noort, Tojo, 2003</small>
  • Genus Tanzaniophasma <small>Klass, Picker, Damgaard, van Noort, Tojo, 2003</small> – Tanzania
  • Species Tanzaniophasma subsolana <small>(Zompro, Klass, Kristensen, & Adis 2002)</small>
  • Subfamily Mantophasmatinae
  • Tribe Tyrannophasmatini <small>Zompro, 2005</small> – South Africa
  • Species Viridiphasma clanwilliamense <small>Eberhard, Picker, Klass, 2011</small>

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.