Nature Atlas

How Nature Works
Sign In
Text size
100%
Theme
Species

Earwig

Insects

Citation Formats

General Reference

APA Style

BibTeX

Earwigs make up the insect order Dermaptera, a comparatively small order of about 2,000 species grouped into 12 families. They are recognized by cerci, a pair of forceps-like pincers projecting from the abdomen, and by membranous hindwings folded away beneath short, rarely used forewings, a feature reflected in the order's scientific name, meaning skin wings. A few earwig groups are instead tiny parasites of mammals and lack the typical pincers. Earwigs occur on every continent except Antarctica.

Comments (0)
No comments yet. Be the first to share a thought.
Reader Challenges (0 open reader challenges)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.

View At A Past Year

The atlas records no dated fact of its own for this entry, so there is no other year to choose.