Chelisochidae is a family 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
[See first entry in ]external links
An internal link is a type of hyperlink on a web page to another page or resource, such as an image or document, on the same website or domain. It is the opposite of an external link, a link that directs a user to content that is outside its d ...
section for reference. whose members are commonly known as black earwigs.
The family contains a total of approximately 96 species, spread across sixteen genera in three subfamilies.
They are primarily located in the more tropical
Afrotropical
The Afrotropical realm is one of the Earth's eight biogeographic realms. It includes Sub-Saharan Africa, the southern Arabian Peninsula, the island of Madagascar, and the islands of the western Indian Ocean. It was formerly known as the Ethiopi ...
,
Australasian
Australasia is a subregion of Oceania, comprising Australia, New Zealand (overlapping with Polynesia), and sometimes including New Guinea and surrounding islands (overlapping with Melanesia). The term is used in a number of different contexts, ...
, and
Oriental
The Orient is a term referring to the East in relation to Europe, traditionally comprising anything belonging to the Eastern world. It is the antonym of the term ''Occident'', which refers to the Western world.
In English, it is largely a meto ...
realms
A realm is a community or territory over which a sovereign rules. The term is commonly used to describe a monarchical or dynastic state. A realm may also be a subdivision within an empire, if it has its own monarch, e.g. the German Empire.
Etymo ...
, even though some species, such as ''
Chelisoches morio,'' are
cosmopolitan
Cosmopolitan may refer to:
Internationalism
* World citizen, one who eschews traditional geopolitical divisions derived from national citizenship
* Cosmopolitanism, the idea that all of humanity belongs to a single moral community
* Cosmopolitan ...
.
They are often dark in color, lending to their common name, and can vary in size. They can be easily identified due to a certain characteristic in their
tarsi, involving a ventral projection on the second tarsal segment. Like most earwigs, they are
omnivore
An omnivore () is an animal that regularly consumes significant quantities of both plant and animal matter. Obtaining energy and nutrients from plant and animal matter, omnivores digest carbohydrates, protein, fat, and fiber, and metabolize t ...
s, and their diet consists of the larvae of
leaf-mining insects, as well as certain types of vegetation.
Genera
The family contains the following genera:
* Subfamily
Chelisochinae Verhoeff, 1902
** ''
Adiathella''
Brindle, 1970
** ''
Adiathetus''
Burr, 1907
** ''
Chelisochella''
Verhoeff, 1902
** ''
Chelisoches''
Scudder, 1876
** ''
Euenkrates''
Rehn, 1927
** ''
Exypnus''
Burr, 1907
** ''
Gressitolabis''
Brindle, 1970
** ''
Hamaxas''
Burr, 1907
** ''
Lamprophorella''
Mjöberg, 1924
** ''
Proreus''
Burr, 1907
** ''
Schizochelisoches''
Steinmann, 1987
** ''
Schizoproreus''
Steinmann, 1987
** ''
Solenosoma''
Burr, 1907
* Subfamily
Genitalatinae Steinmann, 1987
** ''
Genitalata''
Kapoor, 1974
* Subfamily
Kinesinae
** ''
Kinesis''
Burr, 1907
References
External links
The Earwig Research Centre's ''Chelisochidae'' database''Source for references:'' type Chelisochidae in the "family" field and click "search".
Australian Faunal Directory: ChelisochidaeAn image of the family
Dermaptera families
Taxa named by Karl Wilhelm Verhoeff
{{earwig-stub