The Earwigs of the United Kingdom

Checklist of the 4 species occurring in the United Kingdom and 3 introduced species

Author: Fabian Haas

British Earwig Faunas

Hincks WD (1949) Dermaptera and Orthoptera. Handbook for the Identification of British Insects, 1 (Part 5): 21.

Marshall JA, Haes ECM (1988) Grasshoppers and Allied Insects of Great Britain and Ireland. 254pp.

There are also a lot of locations for the UK in GBIF.

Further information on the British earwig fauna is available in the data bases and in the link list.

To retrieve all distribution records for the UK click here ...

Systematics	Description and Information
Spongiphoridae: Labiinae	... to the Photos
*Labia minor* (Linnaeus, 1758)	Small or Lesser Earwig
Locus Typicus: "Europa" [sic]	-
Some Synonyms: Forficula minor Linnaeus, 1758 Copiscelis minor Fieber, 1853 Forficesila minor Frivaldsky, 1867 Forficula livida Zschach, 1788 Labia minuta Scudder, 1876

Systematics	Description and Information
Forficulidae: Forficulinae	... to the Photos
*Apterygida media* (Hagenbach, 1822)	Short-winged or Hop-garden Earwig
Locus Typicus: Switzerland	-
Some Synonyms: Apterygida albipennis (Megerle, 1825) Apterygida pedestris Westwood, 1840 Forficula media Hagenbach, 1822 Chelidura curta Fischer, 1846 Sphingolabis albipennis Megerle, 1825

Systematics	Description and Information
Forficulidae: Forficulinae	... to the Photos
*Forficula auricularia* Linnaeus, 1758	Common Earwig, European Earwig
Locus Typicus: "Europa" [sic]	-
Some Synonyms: Forficula borealis Leach, 1835 Forficula caucasica Kolenati, 1846 Forficula parallela Fabricius, 1775 Forficula dentata Fabricius, 1775

Systematics	Description and Information
Forficulidae: Forficulinae	... to the Photos
*Forficula lesnei* Finot, 1887	Lesne's Earwig
Locus Typicus: France	-
Some Synonyms: none

Systematics	Description and Information
Spongiphoridae: Labiinae	... to the Photos
*Marava arachidis* (Yersin, 1860)	Chief or Bone-house Earwig
Locus Typicus: France	-
Some Synonyms: Apterygida gravidula Gerstäcker, 1873 Apterygida arachidis Bormans, 1900 Forficula nigripennis Motschulsky, 1863

Systematics	Description and Information
Labiduridae: Labidurinae	... to the Photos
*Labidura riparia* (Pallas, 1773)	Striped, Giant or Tawny Earwig
Locus Typicus: Sibiria/Russia	-
Some Synonyms: Apterygida huseini Rehn, 1901 Forficesila affinis Guérin-Méneville, 1836 Forficesila gigantea Burmeister, 1838 Forficesila icterica Audinet-Serville, 1839	Largest British species (25-30 mm) which cannot be confounded with other species. However, it is probably extinct. The colouration is rather variable in colour and pattern, usually the cerci are darker than the rest of the body. Tegmina are always present, and the wings do surpass them to a variing degree; in flight capable specimens they are particularly long. The shapes of the female and male cerci in the Striped Earwig are rather similar, which is in contrast to many other species. This species is exclusively predaceous and feeds mainly on other arthropods. Occasionally it is used in pest controled or its potential for this is examined.

Systematics	Description and Information
Anisolabididae: Carcinophorinae	... to the Photos
Euborellia annulipes (Lucas, 1847)	Ring-legged Earwig
Locus Typicus: France	-
Some Synonyms: Anisolabis annulipes (Lucas, 1847) Anisolabis aporonoma Borelli, 1910 Anisolabis fallax Shiraki, 1906 Forficesila annulipes Lucas, 1847 Forficula equestris Gene, 1837

Web site designed and authored by Fabian Haas 08.07.2007