Notoptera, also known as Xenonomia,
History of research
The name was originally coined in 1915 as an order for Grylloblattidae and largely forgotten until it was resurrected and redefined ("Notoptera Crampton
sensu novum") by Engel and Grimaldi in 2004 (after the discovery of living
Mantophasmatidae), who recommended to give a single order that includes both the living and fossil representatives of the lineage.
Terry and Whiting in 2005 independently proposed a new name, "Xenonomia", for the same lineage of (including the Grylloblattodea and Mantophasmatodea, treated as orders).
Evolutionary history
The earliest stem-representatives of the group had emerged by the Late Carboniferous, around 320 million years ago. Early members of the group, which unlike modern notopterans had wings, have been referred to as members of "Grylloblattida" and "Reculida", with their relationships to modern notopterans historically being the subject of controversy. Winged "grylloblattidans" reached their apex of diversity during the
Permian (299-252 million years ago), where they represented up to a third of all insects at some localities.
The earliest mantophasmatids are known from the
Middle Jurassic of China, around 160 million years ago.
No fossil record of modern grylloblattids is known, though the winged
Aristovia and
Zygogrylloblatta are known from the
Burmese amber of Myanmar dating to the mid-
Cretaceous around 100 million years ago, have mouthparts very similar to modern grylloblattids, indicating their closer relationship to modern grylloblattids than to mantophasmatids.
Mantophasmatids and grylloblattids are thought to have lost their wings independently. Winged "grylloblattidans" declined in diversity and abundance from the Triassic onwards, with the youngest records of winged "grylloblattidans" dating to the Early-mid Cretaceous.
Gallery
File:GrylloblattaCampodeiformis.jpg| Grylloblatta campodeiformis
File:Gladiator.jpg|A nymph of a mantophasmatid
See also
Further reading
-
Ando H. 1982. Biology of the Notoptera. Kashiyo-Insatsu Co. Ltd., Nagano, Japan.
External links
