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DERMAPTERA -- <Images>
& <Juveniles> [Latest
Classification] Please refer also
to the following links for details on this group: Detailed Description Predators
& Parasitoids Fossils References There over 1,400 described species
of earwigs, which are general predators as well as omnivores. They have never been used in biological
control directly, although they are considered beneficial as predators of pestiferous
flies in some habitats. Clausen
(1940) noted that occasional species in several families subsist in part on
other insects. Chelisoches morio F.
was reported to be of considerable importance as an insect predator in the
South Pacific. An examination of the
crops of a number of individuals revealed only insect material. In the New Hebrides, it is credited with
having a strong influence in the reduction of the larval population of the
hispid beetle, Brontispa froggatti Sharp (Risbec 1933,
1935). It also feeds on the larvae of
Tirathaba, which is an important
pest on coconuts. The caudal forceps
are used to attack the prey and in holding it while it is being
consumed. Spongiphora sp. has been found to feed in large numbers on
leafhoppers on sugarcane in Australia.
Euborellia moesta Serv. feeds on codling moth
larvae in France, the nymphs and adults entering the burrows in infested
fruit after the latter have fallen to the ground. Forficula auricularia L., a common pest in many
parts of the world (Legner 1958, Legner & Davis 1962, 1963), feeds on a
variety of insects, among them being fleas, which it is able to capture
readily. An undetermined species was
staged to be the most important natural enemy of the cottony-cushion scale in
California prior to the introduction of the Vedalia beetle and the parasitic
fly. Labidura riparia Pall.
was reported to be an important predator of larvae of the cotton worm in
Egypt, and a single individual may devour 20 medium sized, or 10 large,
larvae in a single night. Bishara
(1934) noted that usually a much larger number of larvae are killed than are
actually eaten.
Most earwigs are flattened which enables them to squeeze into
crevices. Their body is
elongated usually 6–55 millimetres
long. An exception is the Saint
Helena earwig that can range to 80 mm.
These insects are distinguished by their cerci, which is a pair of pincers on the rear of their
abdomen. Males have curved pincers,
while females have straight ones. These pincers are used to capture prey and
for defence. The wings are folded
under a short tegmina. The antennae may have 10 or more segments.
The forewings are not used for flying but rather to cover the hindwings similar to the
elytra of beetles. Most species have thin hindwings, while species in the
suborders Arixeniina and Hemimerina are apterous and are blind with filiform
segmented cerci. The hindwing is a very thin membrane that expands like a
fan. Even though most winged species
are capable of flight, they usually
remain terrestrial. Wing venation is unique and to fold them requires the
cerci. Species that become epizotic
are wingless ectoparasites.
The principal characteristics that identify the Dermaptera are: An elongated, dorso-ventrally flattened general
body shape; a prognathous head,. Segmented antennae, biting-type mouthparts;
the absence of ocelli; compound eyes in most species but reduced or absent in
some taxa; two pairs of wings, the forewings being modified into short
veinless tegmina; and hindwings being membranous with outward radiating
veins; an abdomen with unsegmented cerci that appear as forceps; and a
reduced or absent ovipositor.
The majority of species are in Forficulina with nine families of 181
genera, including Forficula
auricularia, the European Earwig.
Species of Forficulina are free-living, have functional wings and are
not parasitic. They have unsegmented
cerci and modified into pincers.
An epizoic species of earwig was recovered from the body of a Malaysian
hairless bulldog bat,
Two suborders Arixeniina
and Hemimerina have been
added as other cases were found..
Arixeniina represents two genera, Arixenia
and Xeniaria, with a total of five species.
As with Hemimerina, they are blind and wingless, with filiform segmented
cerci. Hemimerina are viviparous ectoparasites, inhabiting the fur of African
rodents in either. Hemimerina also has two genera, Hemimerus and Araeomerus,
with a total of 11 species.
Earwigs are abundant and found in many areas of the world. They have
not been known to transmit diseases to humans or other animals. Their pincers
menacing but not dangerous to humans.
Earwigs rarely enter the human ear , as most species do not fly and
rather remain in dark and damp areas.
Economic losses to fruit and vegetable crops, flowers, etc. are
rare. In Europe earwigs occasionally
feed on peaches and apricots. In the
Intermountain West of North America, the invaded European earwig can cause
extensive damage to vegetable crops (Legner & Davis 1962 & 1963).
Most species are scavengers, but some are omnivorous or predatory. The
abdomen is flexible and capable of maneuvering. The forceps are able to hold prey, and are deployed during
copulation. Their shape more curved in males than in females.
The common or European earwig, Forficula
auricularia, is omnivorous,
feeding on other arthropods, plants, vegetables and ripe fruit. This species
is also a scavenger, feeding on decaying plant and animal matter. This species been a serious pest of vegetable crops in the Intermountain
Area of North America.
Some earwigs are epizoic, or
living on the exterior of other animals, mostly mammals. In the Arixeniidae,
species of the genus Arixenia are found deep in the skin folds of
sheep and and the gular pouch of Malaysian hairless bulldog bats (Cheiromeles
torquatus),
Most earwigs are nocturnal, and hide in small, dark, and often moist
areas during the day. They can usually be observed on walls and ceilings of
buildings. During summer they may be
encountered around damp areas such as near sinks and in bathrooms. They also
tend to gather in shady cracks or openings or places that are concealed
during daylight. They do not range into animal ears as their common name
would suggest.
Belonging to the Hemimetabola they undergo incomplete metamorphosis,
developing through a series of 4 - 6 molts.
Their longevity is about one year.
They begin mating in autumn when they can be found gathered
together. Males and females share a
chamber in debris, crevices, or soil ca. 2.7 mm deep. After mating, the sperm
may be retained by the female for months before the eggs are fertilized. Females expell males from their
overwintering nests after a time.
Thereafterward the female will
lay 22-85 eggs over about a
two-day period. Some earwigs, those parasitic in the suborders Arixeniina and
Hemimerina, are viviparous giving birth to live young. Earwigs show maternal care, the mother paying close
attention to the requirements of her eggs, such as warmth and
protection. The mother vigorously
defends the eggs from predators. She continuously cleans the eggs to protect
them from fungi. Immatures emerge from the eggs within 7-8 days, during
which the mother may assist the nymphs in hatching. After hatching, the
nymphs consume the egg casing and continue to live with the mother. The
nymphs resemble their parents, but they are
smaller, and will nest under their mother while she continues to
protect them until their second molt in about mid summer. The nymphs feed on
food regurgitated by the mother, and on their own molts. If the mother
perishes before the nymphs are ready to leave, the nymphs cannibalize
her. Following 5-6 instars, the
nymphs molt into adults. The male's forceps will become curved, while the
females' remain straight.
Earwigs serve as prey for birds, but they are also prey for insectivorous
lizards, mammals, amphibians, spiders
and centipedes. Bats will also devour earwigs. Insect
predators of earwigs include parasitic species of Tachinidae whose larvae are
endoparasitoids. The tachinids Triarthria
setipennis and Ocytata pallipes have been deployed as biological
controls. The yellow jacket wasp, Vespula
maculifrons, feeds on earwigs when they are abundant. A small roundworm or nematode, Mermis
nigrescens, sometimes parasitize earwigs that have ingested roundworm
eggs accidentally with plant material. At least 28 species of parasitic
fungus of the order Laboulbeniales have been recovered from earwigs. Earwig eggs and nymphs may also be
cannibalized by the same earwig species. A tyroglyphoid mite, Histiostoma
polypori has been found common on earwigs, but the mite feeds only on
dead earwigs.
Most species are quite abundant and can be found almost everywhere,
especially in Americas and Eurasia.
The European earwig, Forficula
auricularia, invaded North America ca. 1907 from Europe and now is common
there., especially in the Far West.
The spine-tailed earwig, Doru aculeatum, ranges into Canada,
where it seeks refuge in the leaf axils of plants. The families
Anisolabididae, Forficulidae, Labiduridae, and Labiidae.
Most species are good outdoor survivors in temperate climates. They
must overwinter in tight crevices in woodland, fields and gardens. Out of
about 1,805 species, 26 have been identified in North America, 46 in Europe
and 62 in Australia.
Fossil Dermaptera of an extinct suborder Archidermaptera are known
from the Late Triassic to Early Jurassic period.. Some of these do not have
morphological characteristics found in present day species. The
ancestral species probably resembled
presentday cockroaches because of their similar forewings and the large,
unequal anal fan. Other ancesters may be similar to modern Embioptera, Phasmida, Dictyoptera and Plecoptera. =
= = = = = = = = = = = References: Please refer to
<biology.ref.htm>, [Additional references may be found at: MELVYL Library] Arnold,
Richard A. "Earwigs." Endangered Wildlife and Plants of the
World. Vol. 4. Eds. Anne Hildyard, Paul Thompson and Amy Prior.
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Mite, Histiostoma Polypori (Oud.) with the Earwig, Forficula Auricularia
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(1956), pp. 85-94. Berenbaum, May
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and Mote, D.C. (1934) Progress report regarding the introduction in Oregon of
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