Austrophasmatidae

Definition

A family of heelwalkers (order Mantophasmatodea) comprising small, wingless, predatory insects endemic to southern Africa. Members of this family are distinguished from the related Mantophasmatidae by geographic restriction to the winter-rainfall regions of South Africa and Namibia, and by molecular and subtle morphological differences. Austrophasmatidae represents one of two extant families in this relictual order, which was discovered living in 2001 after being known only from fossil specimens.

Etymology

From Latin australis (southern) + Greek phasma (apparition, phantom), with the family suffix -idae, referring to their southern African distribution and the ghost-like relictual status of the order.

Example

Austrophasmatidae includes genera such as Austrophasma and Namaquaphasma, which inhabit the succulent karoo and fynbos biomes of western South Africa, where they forage nocturnally on small arthropods and are themselves preyed upon by solifuges and scorpions.

Synonyms

• Southern African heelwalker family

Related Terms

• Mantophasmatodea
• Mantophasmatidae
• heelwalker
• relictual taxon
• gladiator insect
• Notoptera
• Karoo biota

Usage Notes

Distinguished from Mantophasmatidae by distribution (southern Africa vs. eastern Africa) and molecular divergence. The family was erected in 2003 following the discovery of living Mantophasmatodea. Specialists use Austrophasmatidae in phylogenetic studies of polyneopteran insects and in biogeographic analyses of southern African endemism.