Shore Earwig vs Hemiandrus Earwig

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Shore Earwig Hemiandrus Earwig
Scientific Name Anisolabis littorea Hemimerus talpoides
Order Dermaptera Dermaptera
Family Anisolabididae Hemimeridae
Size 20-28 mm 8-12 mm
Habitat Beaches & Coastal Farmland
Diet Omnivores Omnivores
Regions Oceania Sub-Saharan Africa
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Shore Earwig

A large wingless earwig native to New Zealand, found under stones and driftwood on rocky coasts. It has a shiny black body and stout cerci.

💡

Did You Know?

This earwig is highly adapted to coastal life and can survive being submerged by waves during high tide.

Hemiandrus Earwig

A blind, wingless earwig that lives exclusively as a commensal on giant pouched rats. Its cerci are modified into short, unsegmented claspers rather than the typical forceps.

💡

Did You Know?

Unlike all other earwigs, Hemimerus gives birth to live young that develop inside the mother via a placenta-like structure.