Gigatitan is an extinct genus of insect that lived in Kyrgyzstan during the Triassic period. The type species is G. vulgaris, described by Aleksandr Grigorevich Sharov in 1968.
Description
Gigatitan was a large insect, type species,
G. vulgaris is estimated to have wingspan up to .
Although it had large wings, with a hindwing area close to modern large
Pseudophyllanax imperialis, body volume is estimated to be around 150% heavier than that species, suggesting
Gigatitan may not have been able to fly, but probably able to glide.
In life,
Gigatitan was a
mantis-like predator, with forelegs that have similarly enlarged and bore spines for prey capture.
It had dark, transverse stripes on its wings, which is similar to modern
Diurnality mantis
Blepharopsis mendica. Also, its wings were able to produce flashes, which would have worked only during the day, and may have possibly substantially reduced
predation from predators. These characters suggest that
Gigatitan was a diurnal predator.
As seen in other titanopteran insects, there were prominent fluted regions on the forewings, suggesting possible use for
stridulation, but unlike modern crickets or
Tettigoniidae, both males and females of
Gigatitan had wings for stridulation.
The ovipositor of
Gigatitan bore sharp cutting ridges. These were likely used to excise holes in plant matter for oviposition, similar to some modern
Orthoptera.
