Phylogenetic relationships and divergence dating of Mantodea using mitochondrial phylogenomics

Mantodea is a predatory insect group, its members occupying a diverse
array of widely distributed habitats. Praying mantis species utilize
hunting strategies including remarkable mimicry and unique camouflage for
hiding from natural enemies while catching their prey. The emergence of a
“cyclopean ear” in mantises is thought to be a morphological innovation of
the group, and an “arms race” with echolocating bats is one of the
hypotheses put forward to account for the emergence of the mantis ear from
a coevolutionary perspective. However, this hypothesis has not been
rigorously tested because of a lack of robust higher‐level phylogeny and a
detailed chronogram of Mantodea. Previous phylogenetic studies found an
incongruence between traditional classification and molecular
phylogenetics due to the convergent evolution of various ecomorphic
strategies of the lineage. Here, we performed a comprehensive phylogenetic
analysis of Mantodea based on data from 61 mitogenomes. Our analyses
showed that the monophyly of Acanthopidae, Haaniidae, Nanomantidae,
Miomantidae and Mantidea was supported. The newly updated Gonypetidae were
paraphyletic, whereas Eremiaphilidae, Deroplatyidae and Toxoderidae were
polyphyletic. Our molecular dating analyses inferred that Spinomantodea
originated at ca. 149 Ma (Late Jurassic), whereas the origin of hearing
mantises (Cernomantodea) was inferred as Early Cretaceous (119 Ma, 95% CI:
110–129 Ma). The molecular dating results indicated that the hearing organ
in mantises did not arise in response to bat predation. Our study provides
a robust framework for further evolutionary comparative studies of
mantises.