Ice-crawler
Guides
Grylloblatta chirurgica
Mount Saint Helens Grylloblattid, Mount Saint Helens grylloblatid
Grylloblatta chirurgica is a species of ice crawler endemic to southwestern Washington state, specifically associated with high-elevation habitats and ice caves near Mount St. Helens in Skamania County. Described by Gurney in 1961, it is one of the rarest and most geographically restricted members of the relict order Notoptera (Grylloblattodea). The species persists in cold, stable microhabitats including glacial ice fields and subterranean ice formations. Its extremely limited distribution and specialized habitat requirements make it vulnerable to environmental change.