Portal:Insects/Selected article/1

Earwigs make up the insect order Dermaptera, found throughout the Americas, Eurasia and Australia. It is one of the smaller insect orders, with only 1,800 recorded species in 12 families. Typical earwigs have characteristic cerci, a pair of forceps-like pincers on their abdomen, and membranous wings folded underneath short forewings, hence the scientific name for the order, which translates literally as "skin wings". Earwig fossils have been found dating back 208 million years, but are now included in the extinct suborder Archidermaptera dating back to the Late Triassic. Many orders of insect have been suggested as the closest relatives of earwigs; Grylloblattaria is the most likely.

Earwigs are nocturnal; they often hide in small, moist crevices during the day, and are active at night, feeding on a wide variety of insects and plants. Damage to foliage, flowers, and various crops are commonly blamed on earwigs, especially the common earwig Forficula auricularia. However, the harmfulness of earwigs to foliage is still under debate, as they also eat certain insects that damage them. Earwigs rarely fly, even though they are capable of flight. Earwigs undergo an average of 5 moults over the course of a year before they become adults. Many earwig species display maternal care, which is uncommon among insects. Female earwigs are for their eggs, and will continue to watch over the nymphs until their second moult. Sexual dimorphism – including differences in pincer shape – arise in later moults.