Earwigs: Dermaptera - Physical Characteristics, Behavior And Reproduction, Earwigs And People, European Earwig (forficula Auricularia): Species Accounts - GEOGRAPHIC RANGE, HABITAT, DIET, CONSERVATION STATUS
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There are approximately 1,800 species of earwigs found throughout the world, except in the Arctic and Antarctic. They are especially common in the tropics and subtropics. Twenty-two species live in the United States and Canada.
Most earwigs live in moist crevices (KREH-vuh-ses) of all kinds, including under bark, between leaves, and under stones. Some species live on the furry bodies of giant rats or bats as parasites, or animals that live on another organism or host and obtain food from it.
Most earwigs are scavengers (SKAE-vihn-jers) and predators (PREH-duh-ters), feeding both on living and dead insects and plants. Some species eat mainly plants, while others eat mostly insects, such as chinch bugs, mole crickets, mites, scales, aphids, and caterpillars. Parasitic species scavenge bits of dead skin or fungi growing on the bodies of giant rats or feed on skin secretions of bats.
One species, the St. Helena earwig (Labidura herculeana), is listed as Endangered by the World Conservation Union (IUCN). It may even be extinct and no longer exist.
Additional Topics
Earwigs are related to crickets, grasshoppers, and stick insects. They are long, slender, flattened insects that come in various shades of brown or black, sometimes with patterns of light brown or yellow. A few species are metallic green. Most earwigs measure between 0.16 to 3.2 inches (4 to 78 millimeters) in length, without the pinchers (PIN-churs), or grasping claws. The head is distinctive and…
Earwigs are active at night. They hide during the day in moist, dark, tight-fitting places under stones, logs, and bark. They also seek shelter inside cracks in the soil or deep inside flowers. Other species live in caves or actively burrow through the soil. Earwigs often live in groups of dozens or hundreds of individuals. Both males and females use their pinchers for grooming, capturing prey, an…
Physical characteristics: The European earwig is reddish brown to nearly black with yellowish brown wing covers, legs, and antennae. The pinchers are reddish brown. Adults are fully winged and measure 0.47 to 0.59 inches (12 to 15 millimeters) in length, without the pinchers. The male's pinchers are broad with tiny notches at the bases and are sometimes as long as the abdomen and curved. Th…
Physical characteristics: This species is the largest earwig in the world. They are black with reddish legs and wing covers, with no hind wings. Their bodies measure between 1.44 to 2.13 inches (36 to 54 millimeters). Their pinchers add an additional 0.6 to 0.96 inches (15 to 24 millimeters). The largest known specimen is a male measuring 3.1 inches (78 mm). Geographic range: The species is found …
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