In the course of a small project, I investigated and documented the different stages of extant mantodeans for a better understanding of the development and evolution of this group.

In my bachelor thesis I investigated the functional morphology of the pedipalps in whip scorpions, whip spiders and web spiders (Megoperculata, Euchelicerata).

Earliest representatives of chelicerates are known from about half a billion years old Cambrian deposits. In the course of evolution, they became a very successful group of arthropods. This long time of successful existence is likely coupled to their highly sophisticated strategies as active predators. Since the appearance of the earliest chelicerates, especially the first appendages for grasping prey, called pedipalps, experienced some major morphological changes. The distinct morphologies of the grasping appendages, therefore, also provide a useful basis for supporting systematic hypotheses of certain groups inside Chelicerata (sensu lato), which is a widely discussed topic. In my bachelor thesis I presented aspects of the functional morphology of the pedipalps of fossil and living representatives of Megoperculata to contribute to the reconstruction of the systematics of this group.

My results indicate that the pedipalp morphologies are more complex than previously anticipated. They cannot be simply differentiated into chela and subchela, but include more derived types. Hence I suggested a standardised terminology for the morphologies of megoperculatan pedipalps.

Publication:

Dittmann, I. L., Hörnig, M. K., Haug, J. T. & Haug, C. 2015. Raptoblatta waddingtonae n. gen. et n. sp. – an Early Cretaceous roach-like insect with a mantodean-type raptorial foreleg. Palaeodiversity 8, 103–111. Free access PDF

Conference contributions:

Dittmann, I. L. 2015. Raptoblatta waddingtonae – eine neue Raubschabe aus der Crato-Formation. Paläoentomologentreffen, Bonn (Talk).

Dittmann, I. L., Haug, J. T., Hörnig, M. K., Ilic, M. & Haug, C. 2015. Early nymphal development of the praying mantis Hierodula cf. grandis. Annual meeting of the German Zoological Society (DZG), Graz (Poster).

Dittmann, I. L. 2014. Fangbeine verschiedener Arthropoden, fossil und rezent. Paläoentomologentreffen, München (Talk).

Dittmann, I. L. & Haug, C. 2014. Functional morphology of the pedipalps in whip scorpions, whip spiders and web spiders (Megoperculata, Euchelicerata) – a story of successful predators. International Congress of Invertebrate Morphology, Berlin (Poster).

Awards and grants:

2014

- Travel grant of the LMU Munich

- Second poster prize at the International Congress of Invertebrate Morphology, 03–07/08/2014, Berlin