Chelisochidae is a family of
earwig
Earwigs make up the insect order Dermaptera. With about 2,000 species in 12 families, they are one of the smaller insect orders. Earwigs have characteristic cerci, a pair of forcep-like pincers on their abdomen, and membranous wings folde ...
s
[See first entry in ]external links
An internal link is a type of hyperlink on a web page to another page or resource, such as an image or document, on the same website or domain.
Hyperlinks are considered either "external" or "internal" depending on their target or destinatio ...
section for reference. whose members are commonly known as black earwigs.
The family contains a total of approximately 96 species, spread across sixteen genera in three subfamilies.
They are primarily located in the more tropical
Afrotropical,
Australasian, and
Oriental realms
A realm is a community or territory over which a sovereign rules. The term is commonly used to describe a monarchical or dynastic state. A realm may also be a subdivision within an empire, if it has its own monarch, e.g. the German Empire.
Et ...
, even though some species, such as ''
Chelisoches morio,'' are
cosmopolitan
Cosmopolitan may refer to:
Food and drink
* Cosmopolitan (cocktail), also known as a "Cosmo"
History
* Rootless cosmopolitan, a Soviet derogatory epithet during Joseph Stalin's anti-Semitic campaign of 1949–1953
Hotels and resorts
* Cosmopoli ...
.
They are often dark in color, lending to their common name, and can vary in size. They can be easily identified due to a certain characteristic in their
tarsi, involving a ventral projection on the second tarsal segment. Like most earwigs, they are
omnivores, and their diet consists of the larvae of
leaf-mining insects, as well as certain types of vegetation.
Genera
The family contains the following genera:
* Subfamily
Chelisochinae Verhoeff, 1902
** ''
Adiathella''
Brindle, 1970
** ''
Adiathetus''
Burr, 1907
** ''
Chelisochella''
Verhoeff, 1902
** ''
Chelisoches''
Scudder, 1876
** ''
Euenkrates''
Rehn, 1927
** ''
Exypnus''
Burr, 1907
** ''
Gressitolabis''
Brindle, 1970
** ''
Hamaxas''
Burr, 1907
** ''
Lamprophorella''
Mjöberg, 1924
** ''
Proreus''
Burr, 1907
** ''
Schizochelisoches''
Steinmann, 1987
** ''
Schizoproreus''
Steinmann, 1987
** ''
Solenosoma''
Burr, 1907
* Subfamily
Genitalatinae Steinmann, 1987
** ''
Genitalata''
Kapoor, 1974
* Subfamily
Kinesinae
** ''
Kinesis''
Burr, 1907
References
External links
The Earwig Research Centre's ''Chelisochidae'' database''Source for references:'' type Chelisochidae in the "family" field and click "search".
Australian Faunal Directory: ChelisochidaeAn image of the family
Dermaptera families
Taxa named by Karl Wilhelm Verhoeff
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