Dictyoptera
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2008-05-13T13:54:16Z
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{{Taxobox
| name = Dictyoptera
|fossil_range=[[Carboniferous]] - Recent
| regnum = [[Animal]]ia
| phylum = [[Arthropod]]a
| classis = [[Insect]]a
| subclassis = [[Pterygota]]
| infraclassis = [[Neoptera]]
| superordo = '''Dictyoptera'''
| subdivision_ranks = Orders
| subdivision =
[[Blattaria]]- (cockroaches)<br />
[[Isoptera]]- (termites)<br/>
[[Mantodea]]- (mantids)
}}
'''Dictyoptera''' includes three groups of polyneopterous insects - cockroaches ([[Blattaria]]), termites ([[Isoptera]]) and mantids ([[Mantodea]]). While all modern Dictyoptera have short [[ovipositor]]s, the oldest fossils of Dictyoptera have long ovipositors, much like members of the [[Orthoptera]].
The use of the term Dictyoptera has changed over the years, and while largely out of use for much of the last century, it is becoming more widely used. It is usually considered a superorder, with Isoptera, Blattaria and Mantodea being its three orders. In some classifications, however, Dictyoptera is shifted to order status. Regardless, in all classifications the three constituent groups are the same, just treated at different rank. Termites and roaches are very closely related, with ecological and molecular data pointing to a relationship with the roach genus ''Cryptocercus'' (Lo ''et al.'', 2000.).
Based on genetic evidence, the closest living relatives of the Dictyoptera are the [[phasmid]]s and the enigmatic groups [[Mantophasmatodea]] and [[Grylloblattodea]]. If the Dictyoptera are considered a superorder these three orders might be included in it (Cameron ''et al'', 2006).
==References==<!-- Phylogeny predicted by Deitz in 2003: http://globiz.sachsen.de/snsd/publikationen/ArthropodSystematicsPhylogeny/EA_61_1/EA_61_1-69-91_Deitz.pdf -->
* Cameron, Stephen L.; Barker, Stephen C. & Whiting, Michael F. (2006): Mitochondrial genomics and the new insect order Mantophasmatodea. ''Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution'' '''38''': 274–279. {{DOI|10.1016/j.ympev.2005.09.020}} (HTML abstract)
* Lo, N., G. Tokuda, H. Watanabe, H. Rose, M. Slaytor, K. Maekawa, C. Bandi, and H. Noda. 2000. Evidence from multiple gene sequences indicates that termites evolved from wood-feeding cockroaches. Current Biology 10(13):801-804.
==External links==
*[http://www.tolweb.org/Dictyoptera/8253 Tree of Life Dictyoptera Page]
[[Category:Insects]]
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