A new order of insects was discovered in the Western coast of Southern Africa in 2002. Specimens have been found living in the tall grasses of the Bradberg Mountains in Namibia. The order, Mantophasmatodea, is a cross between a mantid, a phasmid, and a grasshopper. Unlike the phasmid (stick insect), which has a primarily vegetarian diet, this little guy is a carnivore. And while its diet is similar to that of a praying mantis, the mantophasmid does not share certain morphological features with the mantis: it has neither raptorial legs nor an upright stance. The Gladiator, as it is commonly called, also has a compacted torso and lacks a protective plate on its abdomen, thus further setting it apart from stick insects which have a more elongated thorax with a protective abdominal plate. Gladiators are aggressive eaters-- leaping upon their prey and subduing them with their spiny legs. Females have been seen devouring their male counterparts after an extended copulation. All in all this is a very exciting discovery for entomologists; the order was thought to be extinct for 35 to 50 million years.
Source: National Geographic
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