The story
Compound of heel + walker, from the fact that these insects have a habit of walking with the tips of their feet held up in the air.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.
heelwalker
Today it means: Any of the order Mantophasmatodea of carnivorous, wingless insects that superficially resemble a cross between praying mantises and phasmids. Full definition →