''Anisolabis maritima'', commonly known as the maritime earwig or the seaside earwig, is a species 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 ...

in the family

Anisolabididae Anisolabididae is a family of earwigs, in the suborder Neodermaptera and the order Dermaptera. Subfamilies *Anisolabidinae **''Aborolabis'' **''Anisolabis'' **''Canarilabis'' **''Carcinophora'' **''Epilandex'' **''Euborellia'' **''Flexiolabi ...

. Similar to the seashore earwig, this species can be found near the shore line, and 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 ...

. It can be found in almost all

biogeographic realm A biogeographic realm is the broadest biogeography, biogeographic division of Earth's land surface, based on distributional patterns of terrestrial animal, terrestrial organisms. They are subdivided into bioregions, which are further subdivid ...

s. Scientists believe that these earwigs originally came from Asia.Fimrite, Peter. "Evolution: Score 1 for Earwig's Odd Claw." SFGate. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2014. http://www.sfgate.com/science/article/Evolution-Score-1-for-earwig-s-odd-claw-3808720.php Since then, however, they have been introduced to North America, and have now spread around the world due to international commerce.Bug of the Month: Maritime Earwig
" Boston Harbor Islands- All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory. Harvard College, n.d. Web. 13 June 2017. This earwig is approximately long, and is a grayish or blackish in color with light yellow legs. Unlike many other species of earwigs, it does not have any wings. Male maritime earwigs are known for their characteristically asymmetrical forceps, which they use for mating, for capturing prey, and for protecting themselves. These

forceps Forceps (: forceps or considered a plural noun without a singular, often a pair of forceps; the Latin plural ''forcipes'' is no longer recorded in most dictionaries) are a handheld, hinged instrument used for grasping and holding objects. Forcep ...

have even been known to be strong enough to break human skin. This species preys on many different small

invertebrate Invertebrates are animals that neither develop nor retain a vertebral column (commonly known as a ''spine'' or ''backbone''), which evolved from the notochord. It is a paraphyletic grouping including all animals excluding the chordata, chordate s ...

s, including

flea Flea, the common name for the order (biology), order Siphonaptera, includes 2,500 species of small flightless insects that live as external parasites of mammals and birds. Fleas live by hematophagy, ingesting the blood of their hosts. Adult f ...

crickets Crickets are orthopteran insects which are related to bush crickets and more distantly, to grasshoppers. In older literature, such as Imms,Imms AD, rev. Richards OW & Davies RG (1970) ''A General Textbook of Entomology'' 9th Ed. Methuen 886 ...

ant Ants are Eusociality, eusocial insects of the Family (biology), family Formicidae and, along with the related wasps and bees, belong to the Taxonomy (biology), order Hymenoptera. Ants evolved from Vespoidea, vespoid wasp ancestors in the Cre ...

s, small

beetle Beetles are insects that form the Taxonomic rank, order Coleoptera (), in the superorder Holometabola. Their front pair of wings are hardened into wing-cases, elytra, distinguishing them from most other insects. The Coleoptera, with about 40 ...

sowbug Woodlice are terrestrial isopods in the suborder Oniscidea. Their name is derived from being often found in old wood, and from louse, a parasitic insect, although woodlice are neither parasitic nor insects. Woodlice evolved from marine isopods ...

s; it even exhibits cannibalistic tendencies. Because of their location on the beach, maritime earwigs are often found under seaweed and driftwood during the day. They prefer “dark, warm, humid places” to stay in. In maritime earwigs in particular, evidence of

filial cannibalism Filial cannibalism occurs when an adult individual of a species consumes all or part of the young of its own species or immediate offspring. Filial cannibalism occurs in many species ranging from mammals to insects, and is especially prevalent in ...

has been found. Filial cannibalism is the practice of a mother eating some of her offspring. Scientists believe that maritime earwigs practice this behavior in order to make their clutch maintain the size that best optimizes their investment. In this case, the mother will often eat the youngest child, which serves to shorten the total time she spends caring for the young. As she optimizes the childbearing process, the amount of energy she has to spend on her remaining children increases, as does their chance of survival.Julie S., Miller, and Zink Andrew G. (2012) "Parental Care Trade-Offs And The Role Of Filial Cannibalism In The Maritime Earwig, Anisolabis maritima." Animal Behaviour 83 (6): 1387-1394.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2222095 Insects of Asia Anisolabididae Cosmopolitan insects Insects described in 1832

See also

References