Oliver Zompro

 ( German Entomologists ) 

Oliver Zompro is a German biologist who is credited with the discovery in 2002 of a new order of carnivorous African insects, Mantophasmatodea or "gladiators", which is sometimes relegated to subordinal status.

Zompro initially described gladiators from old museum specimens that originally were found in Namibia ( Mantophasma zephyrum) and Tanzania ( M. subsolanum), and from a 45-million-year-old specimen of Baltic Sea amber ( Raptophasma kerneggeri).

Live specimens were found in Namibia by an international expedition in early 2002; Tyrannophasma gladiator was found on the Brandberg Massif, and Mantophasma zephyrum was found on the Erongo.

• New insect order found in Southern Africa
• New order of insects identified: Mantophasmatodea find their place in Class Insecta
• Man discovers a new life-form at a South African truck stop