Mantophasmatidae

The insect family Mantophasmatidae is the sole family in its order. It is a group of African carnivorous insects discovered in 2002.^[1] The most common vernacular name for this order is gladiators, but it is not well known under any name.

Gladiators Temporal range: Jurassic–Recent
Mantophasma zephyra
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Subclass:	Pterygota
Infraclass:	Neoptera
Superorder:	Exopterygota
Order:	Notoptera
Suborder:	Mantophasmatodea
Family:	Mantophasmatidae

Their modern centre of endemism is western South Africa and Namibia, although a relict population and Eocene fossils suggest a wider ancient distribution.

Members of the order are wingless even as adults, making them relatively difficult to identify. They resemble a mix between praying mantids and phasmids. Molecular evidence indicates that they are most closely related to a family known as the Grylloblattidae.^[2]

The mantophasmids were originally described from old museum specimens that found in Namibia (Mantophasma zephyra) and Tanzania (M. subsolana), and from a 45-million-year-old specimen of Baltic amber (Raptophasma kerneggeri).

The most recent classification recognizes numerous genera, including fossils.^[3]