''Forficula dentata'' 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

Forficulidae Forficulidae is a family of earwigs in the order Dermaptera. There are more than 70 genera and more than 500 described species in Forficulidae. Species in this family include ''Forficula auricularia'' (the European earwig or common earwig) and ' ...

, commonly referred to as the Western earwig or European earwig. It was first described by Danish zoologist,

Johan Christian Fabricius Johann Christian Fabricius (7 January 1745 – 3 March 1808) was a Danish zoologist, specialising in "Insecta", which at that time included all arthropods: insects, arachnids, crustaceans and others. He was a student of Carl Linnaeus, and is co ...

, in 1775. It is a

cryptic species In biology, a species complex is a group of closely related organisms that are so similar in appearance and other features that the boundaries between them are often unclear. The taxa in the complex may be able to hybridize readily with each oth ...

belonging to the ''

Forficula auricularia ''Forficula auricularia'' is a species complex comprising the common earwig. It is also known as the European earwig. It is an omnivorous insect belonging to the family Forficulidae. The name ''earwig'' comes from the appearance of the hindwings ...

'' species complex. Originally thought to be a synonym of ''F. auricularia'', it has since been classified its own unique species. Being cryptic, it is often misidentified as ''F. auricularia'' or '' Forficula mediterranea'', which differ in their distribution. The distribution of ''F. dentata'' includes the British Isles, parts of Western Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Chile, the Western United States and Canada. Other populations of this species include the Belarusian Central Botanic Gardens, Belarus; Newfoundland, Canada; and an individual near Gimmingen, Germany.

References

Taxa named by Johan Christian Fabricius Insects described in 1775 Forficulidae Household pest insects Insects of Europe {{Earwig-stub