Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jul 10, 2026

Grylloblatta

Grylloblatta is a genus of insects in the family Grylloblattidae. It contains 15 species, including Grylloblatta chirurgica, almost exclusively from high-altitude and high-latitude regions of the United States and Canada, living in ice caves and glaciers.

Last revised
Jul 10, 2026
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≈ 2 min
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574 w
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Grylloblatta
Grylloblatta campodeiformis
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Clade: Pancrustacea
Class: Insecta
Order: Notoptera
Suborder: Grylloblattodea
Family: Grylloblattidae
Genus: Grylloblatta
Walker, 1914
Species

15 species

Grylloblatta oregonensis source ↗

Grylloblatta is a genus of insects in the family Grylloblattidae. It contains 15 species, including Grylloblatta chirurgica, almost exclusively from high-altitude and high-latitude regions of the United States and Canada, living in ice caves and glaciers.1

The genus was first described by Edmund Walker in 1914, based on a single species, Grylloblatta campodeiformis.2

Species

These 15 species belong to the genus Grylloblatta:

Data sources: i = ITIS,3 c = Catalogue of Life,4 g = GBIF,5 b = Bugguide.net6

Novel species

Based on further evidence, Schoville & Graening (2013) indicate the following can be unique lineages, perhaps undescribed species.7

Life cycle

Individuals have lifespans of between 6 and 10 years.8

References

References

  1. Schoville, Sean D.; Graening, G. O. (2013). "Updated checklist of the ice-crawlers (Insecta: Grylloblattodea: Grylloblattidae) of North America, with notes on their natural history, biogeography and conservation". Zootaxa. 3737 (4): 351–378. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.3737.4.2. ISSN 1175-5334. PMID 25112759.
  2. Walker, Edmund (1914). "A new species of Orthoptera, forming a new genus and family". The Canadian Entomologist. 46 (3): 93–99. doi:10.4039/ent4693-3. S2CID 85329926. Retrieved 2014-12-19.
  3. "Grylloblatta Report". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 2018-04-22.
  4. "Browse Grylloblatta". Catalogue of Life. Archived from the original on 2019-07-22. Retrieved 2018-04-22.
  5. "Grylloblatta". GBIF. Retrieved 2018-04-22.
  6. "Grylloblatta Genus Information". BugGuide.net. Retrieved 2018-04-22.
  7. Schoville, Sean D.; Graening, G. O. (2013-11-21). "Updated checklist of the ice-crawlers (Insecta: Grylloblattodea: Grylloblattidae) of North America, with notes on their natural history, biogeography and conservation". Zootaxa. 3737 (4). Magnolia Press: 351–378. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.3737.4.2. ISSN 1175-5334. PMID 25112759.
  8. Wipfler, Benjamin; Bai, Ming; Schoville, Sean; Dallai, Romano; Uchifune, Toshiki; Machida, Ryuichiro; Cui, Yingying; Beutel, Rolf G. (2014-01-20). "Ice Crawlers (Grylloblattodea) – the history of the investigation of a highly unusual group of insects". Journal of Insect Biodiversity. 2 (2): 1–25. doi:10.12976/jib/2014.2.2. ISSN 2147-7612. S2CID 84729486. Retrieved 2021-12-12.