Giant earwig - Giant earwig

It is an insect of the order Dermaptera and family Hylobatidae in the class Insecta. It is distributed all over the world, and in Japan it can be found under stones and rubbish on riverbanks and coasts. It is 25-30 mm long, and its body is reddish brown or dark brown, with a strong reddish hue especially at the back of the head and around the joint between the left and right forewings. The hindwings are milky white, and there are two types, short-winged and long-winged. The claws at the end of the tail are bilaterally symmetrical, and males have one tooth near the center of the inner edge of the claws.

[Yamazaki Egane]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

昆虫綱ハサミムシ目オオハサミムシ科の昆虫。世界各地に分布し、日本では河原や海岸の石やごみの下などにみられる。体長25～30ミリメートルで、体は赤褐色ないし暗褐色、とくに後頭部や左右の前ばねの合わせ目付近は赤みが強い。後ろばねは乳白色、短翅(たんし)と長翅の2型がある。尾端のはさみは左右相称で、雄のはさみの内縁中央付近に歯が1個ある。

［山崎柄根］

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