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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Earwigs (Dermaptera) » Anisolabididae » Euborellia » Ring-legged Earwig (Euborellia annulipes)

Species Euborellia annulipes - Ring-legged Earwig

Classification · Other Common Names · Explanation of Names · Size · Identification · Range · Habitat · Food · Life Cycle · Remarks · Print References · Internet References · Works Cited
Earwig ID - Euborellia annulipes - female Ringed Earwig - Euborellia annulipes Ring-legged Earwig? - Euborellia annulipes Euborellia annulipes - male Euborellia - Euborellia annulipes - male Possibly Euborellia annulipes - Euborellia annulipes - female Euborellia annulipes - female Ring-legged Earwig - Dorsal - Euborellia annulipes
Classification
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)
Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Dermaptera (Earwigs)
Family Anisolabididae
Genus Euborellia
Species annulipes (Ring-legged Earwig)
Other Common Names
Ringlegged Earwig
Explanation of Names
Euborellia annulipes (Lucas 1847)
annulipes = 'ring-legged'
Size
12-18 mm(1)
Identification
A medium-sized dark-brown earwig with dark areas on the light-yellow legs ("black armbands"). Only the wingless forms are found in our area. Adult antenna with 14-16 segments.
E. cincticollis is very similar and sometimes has dark areas on the legs, but those tend to be less distinct. Adults can be told apart by antennomere counts: 17-20 E. cincticollis vs 14-16 in E. annulipes
Range
e. US (MA-FL to NE-TX) and BC-CA-AZ; Mexico(1); probably introduced from Europe
Habitat
under debris, rocks, and bark in dry and damp places(2). Its ability to live indoors means it can show up just about anywhere people go.
Food
A voracious predator, it will also eat all kinds of plant material, though rarely bothers with live plants
Life Cycle
Female lays a clutch of several dozen eggs, which she guards fiercely, also keeping them from getting dirty or dried out. The nymphs molt 4-5 times before becoming adults.
Remarks
first detected in the US in 1884
Not uncommon in homes and gardens, though often displaced by other species, esp. the European Earwig. Whatever damage it does to crops like lettuce and strawberries is usually more than made up for by destroying small slugs, caterpillars, termites, and many other pests.
Print References
Bharadwaj RK. (1966) Observation on the bionomics of Euborellia annulipes (Dermaptera: Labiduridae). Ann. Ent. Soc. Am. 59: 441-450.
Calixto A, Dean A, Knutson A, Harris M. (2006) Density changes of two earwigs, Labidura riparia (Pallas) and Euboriellia annulipes (Lucas) following fire ant reduction in Mumford, Texas. Southwestern Entomologist 31: 97-101.
Klostermeyer EC. (1942) The life history and habits of the ring-legged earwig, Euboriella annulipes (Lucas) (Order Dermaptera). J. Kans. Ent. Soc. 15: 13-18.
Internet References
Fact sheet (Capinera 2017)(3)
Works Cited
1.The Earwigs of California (Order Dermaptera)
R.L. Langston & J.A. Powell. 1975. Bull. Calif. Insect Surv. 20: 1-25.
2.Choate P. M. () The order Dermaptera (earwigs) in Florida and the United States
3.University of Florida: Featured Creatures
Contributed by Eric R. Eaton on 8 December, 2005 - 5:28pm
Additional contributions by Beatriz Moisset, Robin McLeod, Chuck Entz, Mike Quinn, Graham M, v belov
Last updated 2 July, 2021 - 10:44am

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