''Labidura'' is a genus of

earwigs Earwigs make up the insect order Dermaptera. With about 2,000 species in 12 families, they are one of the smaller insect orders. Earwigs have characteristic cerci, a pair of forceps-like pincers on their abdomen, and membranous wings folde ...

in the family

Labiduridae Labiduridae, whose members are known commonly as striped earwigs, is a relatively large family of earwigs in the suborder Neodermaptera. Taxonomy The family contains a total of approximately 72 species, spread across seven genera in three subfa ...

. Probably the earliest specimen of ''Labidura'' was found in

Eocene The Eocene ( ) is a geological epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from about 56 to 33.9 million years ago (Ma). It is the second epoch of the Paleogene Period (geology), Period in the modern Cenozoic Era (geology), Era. The name ''Eocene'' comes ...

amber. Among the ''Labidura'' species, ''

Labidura riparia ''Labidura riparia'' is a species of earwig in the family Labiduridae characterized by their modified cercus, cerci as forceps, and light tan color.Tawfik, M., Abul-Nar, S., and El-hussein, M. 1973. The biology of ''Labidura riparia'' Pallas. Bu ...

'' is

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 ...

, but the

Saint Helena earwig The Saint Helena earwig or Saint Helena giant earwig (''Labidura herculeana'') is an extinct species of very large earwig endemic to the oceanic island of Saint Helena in the south Atlantic Ocean. Description Growing as large as long (includi ...

(''

Labidura herculeana The Saint Helena earwig or Saint Helena giant earwig (''Labidura herculeana'') is an extinct species of very large earwig endemic to the oceanic island of Saint Helena in the south Atlantic Ocean. Description Growing as large as long (includi ...

'') was the largest of all earwigs before its possible extinction after the year of 1967.

Species

The genus contains the following species: * '' Labidura cryptera'' Liu, 1946 * '' Labidura dharchulensis'' Gangola, 1968 * '' Labidura elegans'' Liu, 1946 * '' Labidura japonica'' (Haan, 1842) * '' Labidura minor'' Boeseman, 1954 * '' Labidura orientalis'' Steinmann, 1979 * ''

'' (Pallas, 1773) * '' Labidura xanthopus'' (Stal, 1855) * ''

'' (Fabricius, 1798)

References

* * {{Taxonbar, from=Q17627410 Forficulina Dermaptera genera Taxa named by William Elford Leach