''Arixenia'' is a genus of
earwig
Earwigs make up the insect order (biology), order Dermaptera. With about 2,000 species in 12 families, they are one of the smaller insect orders. Earwigs have characteristic cercus, cerci, a pair of forceps-like pincer (biology), pincers on ...
s, one of only two genera in the family
Arixeniidae
Arixeniidae is a family of earwigs in the suborder Neodermaptera. Arixeniidae was formerly considered a suborder, Arixeniina, but was reduced in rank to family and included in the new suborder Neodermaptera.
Arixeniidae is represented by two gen ...
, and contains two species. These earwigs live on bats and feed off their dead skin, being
commensalistic symbionts.
The genus Arixenia live on the skin of bats mainly of the genus ''
Cheiromeles''. Another genus Hemimerus is also ectoparasitic and found on rats of the genus ''
Cricetomys''. They are placed in the suborder Arixenina and have unsegmented cerci.
References
External links
An example specimen of the species ''Arixenia esau'' from the Tree of Life ''(note that the species is incorrectly labeled)''An example of a female ''Arixenia esau'' from the Australian National Insect Collection
Dermaptera genera
Arixeniina
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