''Metallyticus'' is a genus of

praying mantis Mantises are an order (Mantodea) of insects that contains over 2,400 species in about 460 genera in 33 families. The largest family is the Mantidae ("mantids"). Mantises are distributed worldwide in temperate ...

. It is the only genus in the

monotypic In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unisp ...

family Metallyticidae. They are mostly found in South-East Asia. The species of the genus are dark, somewhat flattened and

cockroach Cockroaches (or roaches) are insects belonging to the Order (biology), order Blattodea (Blattaria). About 30 cockroach species out of 4,600 are associated with human habitats. Some species are well-known Pest (organism), pests. Modern cockro ...

-like, and often with a

cuticle A cuticle (), or cuticula, is any of a variety of tough but flexible, non-mineral outer coverings of an organism, or parts of an organism, that provide protection. Various types of "cuticle" are non- homologous, differing in their origin, structu ...

that is reflective and metallic in appearance. The

phylogenetic In biology, phylogenetics () is the study of the evolutionary history of life using observable characteristics of organisms (or genes), which is known as phylogenetic inference. It infers the relationship among organisms based on empirical dat ...

position of Metallyticidae relative to other mantis families has been studied using both morphological and molecular characters, but consensus on its placement has not been achieved. Along with the genera '' Chaeteessa'' and '' Mantoida'', ''Metallyticus'' is considered a member of the basal

Mantodea Mantises are an Order (biology), order (Mantodea) of insects that contains List of mantis genera and species, over 2,400 species in about 460 genera in 33 families. The largest family is the Mantidae ("mantids") ...

, though some scientists consider the application of this term to extant species to be misleading.Krell, Frank T.; Cranston, Peter S. (2004). "Which side of the tree is more basal?". ''Systematic Entomology''. 29 (3): 279–281. doi:10.1111/j.0307-6970.2004.00262.x Metallyticidae species have several autapomorphic traits, including their metallic coloration and the enlarged spine on their front legs. They also have many

plesiomorphic In phylogenetics, a plesiomorphy ("near form") and symplesiomorphy are synonyms for an ancestral character shared by all members of a clade, which does not distinguish the clade from other clades. Plesiomorphy, symplesiomorphy, apomorphy, an ...

traits, including a relatively short pronotum and full wings in both sexes. Of the five species, '' M. splendidus'' and '' M. violaceus'' are the most abundant. Most specimens for scientific study have been found in

Sumatra Sumatra () is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the list of islands by area, sixth-largest island in the world at 482,286.55 km2 (182,812 mi. ...

Borneo Borneo () is the List of islands by area, third-largest island in the world, with an area of , and population of 23,053,723 (2020 national censuses). Situated at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, it is one of the Greater Sunda ...

Java Java is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea (a part of Pacific Ocean) to the north. With a population of 156.9 million people (including Madura) in mid 2024, proje ...

, and the

Malay Peninsula The Malay Peninsula is located in Mainland Southeast Asia. The landmass runs approximately north–south, and at its terminus, it is the southernmost point of the Asian continental mainland. The area contains Peninsular Malaysia, Southern Tha ...

. Species in this family are distinct from other mantises in their method of prey capture; ''Metallyticus'' species typically dart to capture prey, remaining close to the ground, rather than waiting to ambush. These species are usually found in or under bark of decaying trees.

Species

* '' Metallyticus fallax'' Giglio-Tos, 1917 * '' Metallyticus pallipes'' Giglio-Tos, 1917 * '' Metallyticus semiaeneus'' Westwood, 1889 * '' Metallyticus splendidus'' Westwood, 1835 * '' Metallyticus violaceus'' (Burmeister, 1838)

References

External links

*
Tree of Life - MetallyticidaeMantodea Species File (Version 5.0/5.0)
{{Mantodea Insects of Southeast Asia