About

The Dermaptera (earwigs) are elongated, slender insects with a flattened and heavily sclerotized body. They are beetle-like in appearance but are easily distinguished from Coleoptera by the presence of a distinct cerci, or pincers that look like forceps at the tip of the abdomen. The forceps are used in defense; to fold the soft membranous hindwings beneath the forewings and to catch and hold prey while it is consumed. Dermaptera means ‘skin wings’ referring to the leather -like texture of the short forewings. Although the earwigs are primarily scavengers, the adults feed on the floral parts of the rice plant (pollen, pistils, stamens) when the glumes open causing sterility and abortion of the grain. The damage, they cause is minimal and they are considered minor pests of rice in West Africa.