Dictyoptera

Definition

A superorder (or cohort) of polyneopterous insects comprising two extant orders: Blattodea (cockroaches and termites) and Mantodea (mantises). Members share derived traits including short ovipositors and ootheca formation—hardened egg cases deposited externally—contrasting with their Late Carboniferous fossil relatives ('roachoids') that retained long ovipositors and lacked oothecae. Dictyoptera represents one of the oldest lineages of modern neopteran insects, with ootheca-bearing forms appearing by the Late Triassic.

Etymology

New Latin, from Greek diktyon (net) + pteron (wing), referring to the reticulate venation of the hindwings in many members.

Example

The dictyopteran cockroach Periplaneta americana and the mantis Tenodera sinensis share the characteristic ootheca, yet their divergent ecologies—cryptic detritivory versus active predation—illustrate the broad adaptive radiation within this superorder.

Related Terms

• Polyneoptera
• Blattodea
• Mantodea
• Neoptera
• Ootheca
• polyneopterous

Usage Notes

Rank varies in literature: treated as superorder in many modern classifications, but historically as cohort within supercohort Polyneoptera. Isoptera (termites) is now subsumed within Blattodea, making Dictyoptera strictly diphyletic at the order level. The name is also a homonym for beetle genera in Lycidae (net-winged beetles) and Dictyopharidae (planthoppers), requiring context to disambiguate.