Hop-Garden Earwig vs Sharp's Rove Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Hop-Garden Earwig Sharp's Rove Beetle
Scientific Name Forficula lesnei Philonthus sharpi
Order Dermaptera Coleoptera
Family Forficulidae Staphylinidae
Size 9-13 mm 7-10 mm
Habitat Gardens Woodlands
Diet Detritivores Detritivores
Regions Europe Japan, Korea, Eastern China
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Hop-Garden Earwig

A small earwig closely related to the European earwig but distinguished by its shorter wing cases. It is found in southern European gardens and orchards.

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Did You Know?

This species was long confused with the European earwig and was only recognized as distinct in the early twentieth century.

Sharp's Rove Beetle

A medium-sized, metallic-sheened rove beetle named after the eminent coleopterist David Sharp. It is found in woodland and forest habitats where it hunts among leaf litter.

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Did You Know?

Named after David Sharp, the Victorian entomologist who described over 3,000 staphylinid species and wrote the definitive 19th-century monograph on rove beetles.