Common Earwig

<em>Forficula auricularia</em>, the common earwig, is a cosmopolitan insect in the order Dermaptera, family Forficulidae, and is not evaluated by the IUCN Red List. Originally native to Europe, the species has been widely introduced and now occurs across North America and South America, thriving in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater biome types. <em>Forficula auricularia</em> typically inhabits gardens, woodlands, hedgerows, and agricultural areas, sheltering in moist, dark retreats beneath stones, bark, and leaf litter during the day and emerging at night to forage. The species is omnivorous, feeding on a variety of plant material, decaying organic matter, and small invertebrates including aphids and mites. One of its most distinctive behavioral traits is maternal care: females guard their egg clutches and tend to early-instar nymphs, an uncommon behavior among insects. The prominent paired forceps, or cerci, at the abdomen tip are used in defense, prey capture, and mating interactions. Despite its fearsome appearance and the common misconception that it crawls into human ears, the earwig poses no threat to people and is considered a beneficial insect in many garden ecosystems due to its predation on pest species. Biological traits of this species remain poorly documented in the scientific literature.