With you, new order Mantophasmatodea

2002/04/18 Elhuyar Zientzia

• Zoologia

A group from the University of Copenhagen has presented the new order of insects, called Mantophasmatodea, which has the form of crickets and insect sticks.

They live in the meadows of the high mountains of Namibia and are carnivores, as they have found insect remains in the stomach to an individual. Scientists claim that grylloblattode may be related to order and insect sticks.

The discovery was made by a doctoral student. Starting the study of a 45-million-year-old insect fossil, he discovered that it was not included in any of the known orders so far. From there, we began to study the unidentified insects that were in museums. And he realized that some were similar to fossil. They all come from southern Africa in the 20th century. In the 20th century.

The living individuals found during the trip of the University of Copenhagen team to Namibia checked the suspicions. They found a new order of insects: Mantophasmatod.

At the moment, with individuals preserved in amber, those housed in museums and those found alive, three genera have been differentiated within this order. And they say they are in the process of presenting two new genres.