#dermaptera

[razehider]

kind enough to hide in an easily peelable spot but not lucky enough to avoid meddling peelers like me, this Forficula lesnei was so taken aback by my presence that he just sort of stood there and waited for me to be done and put him back. this particular individual apparently looks similar to the eastern european F. aetolica as a result of this species being very variable where i am, but to me it's all wigs

(July 3rd, 2025)

[celestial-games]

Earwigs!

I'm having a lot of fun working on these small insect orders (thrips yesterday and earwigs today) that I can do in a day or two instead of the huge orders that take months to finish. What are your favorite small and overlooked orders that I should take on next?

[bestanimal]

Round 3 - Insecta - Dermaptera

(Sources - 1, 2, 3, 4)

Order: Dermaptera

Common Name: “earwigs”

Families: 12 - Karschiellidae, Diplatyidae, Haplodiplatyidae, Pygidicranidae, Hemimeridae, Apachyidae, Anisolabididae, Labiduridae (“striped earwigs”), Arixeniidae, Spongiphoridae (“little earwigs”), Chelisochidae (“black earwigs”), and Forficulidae (“common earwigs”)

Anatomy: elongate, dorso-ventrally flattened body; chewing mouthparts; two compound eyes; membranous, semicircular hindwings are usually folded up beneath the modified forewings: shortened, smooth tegmina; characteristicly large, unsegmented cerci resemble forceps, and are usually sexually dimorphic; the families Hemimeridae and Arixeniidae are eyeless and wingless exoparasites, and various cave-dwelling species are eyeless as well

Diet: varies widely between species: leaves, flowers, corn silk, seeds, berries, grass shoots and roots, decaying plant and animal matter; plant lice, flies, aphids; parasitic species feed on dead skin cells, glandular secretions, fungi, and/or guano

Metamorphosis: hemimetabolous

Habitat: hide in small, moist crevices during the day, emerging at night to feed; found on all continents except Antarctica, but most diverse in the tropics

Evolved in: Late Triassic

(source)

Do you have a favorite in Dermaptera?

One or more of my favorite animals is in Dermaptera

I love at least one or more of these animals

I like at least one or more of these animals

I am neutral about at least one or more of these animals

I dislike all of these animals

Voting ended onOct 13, 2025

Propaganda under the cut:

Earwigs are often hated for the sin of *checks notes* living in close proximity to humans, but they are relatively harmless to humans. Even the “parasitic” families only eat dead skin cells and fungus off of the skin of the animals they live on/around. They do not transmit disease to humans or other animals, they can not pinch with their cerci, and they certainly do not “lay eggs inside people’s ears” as some old wive’s tails purport (and the myth that gives them their common name!) There is some evidence that the Common, or European Earwig (Forficula auricularia) can cause crop damage by chewing on the leaves and petals of a wide variety of plants, but it will also eat aphids, a much more noxious crop pest.

Earwigs are sexually dimorphic. When mature, male forceps will become curved, while the females' forceps remain straight. The forceps are used for a variety of purposes. In some species, the forceps have been observed in use for holding prey, and in copulation.

Earwigs are among the few non-social insect species that show maternal care. Mother earwigs pay close attention to the needs of her eggs, keeping them warm, cleaning them and keeping them free of fungi, and defending them from predators. She will not leave her eggs even to eat, unless the clutch goes bad. The eggs hatch about 7 days after being laid, and the mother earwig may assist the nymphs with hatching. They will gather and nest underneath their mother for protection, and she will feed them by regurgitating food for them. If the mother dies before the nymphs are ready to leave the nest, the nymphs may resort to eating her body, her last gift to them. But, if all goes well, they will begin to set off on their own after their second molt.

(source)

The largest living species of earwig is the Australian Giant Earwig (Titanolabis colossea), which is approximately 50 mm (2 in) long. The Saint Helena Earwig (Labidura herculeana) grew as long as 84 mm (3.3 in) (including forceps), but this species is generally considered extinct, having not been seen alive since 1967, despite searches for it in 1988, 1993, 2003, 2005, and 2023.

Male earwigs in six families (Karschiellidae, Pygidicranidae, Diplatyidae, Apachyidae, Anisolabisidae, and Labiduridae) have paired penises, while the males in the remaining groups have a single penis. Both penises are symmetrical in Pygidicranidae and Diplatyidae, but in Karschiellidae the left one is strongly reduced. Apachyidae, Anisolabisidae, and Labiduridae have an asymmetrical pair, with the left and right one pointing on opposite directions when not in use. Female earwigs have just a single genital opening, so only one of the paired penises is ever used during copulation. Follow bestanimal for more Penis Facts.

Most earwigs are winged, though they are rarely seen in flight. Nevertheless, they have some of the most complex wings in the animal kingdom, which fold up like origami underneath their short forewings when not in use.

The Lined Earwig (Doru taeniatum) can squirt a foul-smelling yellow liquid in the form of jets from scent glands on the dorsal side of its abdomen. It aims the discharges by revolving its abdomen, a maneuver that enables it simultaneously to use its forceps in defense.

[herpsandbirds]

Orange-headed Earwing (Metrasura flaviceps), family Forficulidae, order Dermaptera), Costa Rica

photographs by John Erna

[forficulidae]

Euborellia arcanum (Family Anisolabididae) caring for her nymphs

by Lucas Garriga

[dailybugfacts]

do you have any facts about earwigs other than them being maternal 👀

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TODAY'S FACT IS

Did you know that the European Earwig (Forficula auricularia) is an omnivorous scavenger? The wings unfurled look like human ears, giving the group their name. Both the male and the female earwig will participate in or start a complex mating ritual involving their cerci (the pincer-like prongs on their abdomen). These cerci are only ever used for courtship and defence and not to hold their mates in place.

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Photo by Kurt Komoda

[have-you-seen-this-animal]

can you do Labidura riparia? im interested in seeing how many ppl know this species bc its been known to widen its distribution on its own, sometimes even by floating on deadwood across oceans.

Have you seen the shore earwig (Labidura riparia)?

I have now

Yes, in photos/videos

Yes, irl

I'm not sure

Voting ended onApr 2

[vgbugs]

Auguste - Look Outside

A former human twisted into a new shape after Looking Outside. Auguste got possibly the least clean arthropoid fusions in the game, having turned into a chaotic mass of earwig anatomy with a panicked, still-human face at the core, surrounded by a "ribcage" of arms.

One of each of his arms and legs is the abdomen of an earwig, with pincer-like cerci, while the other is the front half of the animal. His left armwig has even spread its iridescent wings, adding an extra splash of colour to the sprite. Delightful!

Despite all his cerci, Auguste mostly attacks with his antennae.

Real earwigs fold their wings up and tuck them behind their hardened forewings, like beetles do. Look at em go!

On Cursed difficulty, he attacks alongside Jon and Lou, people (possibly his kids) who got infected by him (some transformations are infectious, allowing even people who did not Look Outside to turn into mutants).