• Animals (Kingdom Animalia)

• Arthropods (Phylum Arthropoda)

• Hexapods (Subphylum Hexapoda)

• Insects (Class Insecta)

• Winged and Once-winged Insects (Subclass Pterygota)

• Earwigs Order Dermaptera

• Extant Earwigs (Suborder Neodermaptera)

• Epidermapteran Earwigs (Infraorder Epidermaptera)

• Superfamily Forficuloidea

• Common Earwigs (Family Forficulidae)

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Family Forficulidae is the largest and most widespread family of earwigs within the order Dermaptera. Members of this family are recognized by their elongated, flattened bodies, short leathery forewings, and the distinctive forceps-like pincers (cerci) at the end of the abdomen. These pincers are used for defense, courtship, prey capture, and handling food, with males often possessing more strongly curved forceps than females. Forficulid earwigs occur throughout much of the world in gardens, forests, grasslands, agricultural fields, and urban environments, where they typically hide under bark, stones, logs, leaf litter, or other sheltered locations during the day and become active at night. Most species are omnivorous, feeding on decaying plant material, fungi, insects, and soft vegetation.