Project Description

Species to look out for

Gladiator Arthropod or Heelwalker

The twentieth century was uneventful when it came to discoveries of new insects. Two new orders were discovered as early in the century as 1913 and 1932. Then, in the early 2000’s, living specimens of what was only previously found in fossils were discovered. This insect order is called the Heelwalkers or Gladiators (insect order Mantophasmatodea). A species of the Gladiator Arthropod lives in the semi-arid succulent Karoo biome.