{{Short description|Species of earwig}} {{Speciesbox | name = Ringlegged earwig | image = Euborellia annulipes FnM.png | genus = Euborellia | species = annulipes | authority = (H. Lucas, 1847) }} thumb|Image of the earwig ''Euborellia anulipes'' (H. Lucas, 1847), collected from a soil patch at Elberta Road in Warner Robins, GA. Scale bar represents 1 cm. <ref>{{Cite book |last=Abbott |first=John C. |title=Insects of North America |date=2023 |publisher=Princeton University Press |others=Kendra K. Abbott |isbn=978-0-691-23285-0 |edition=1st |series=Princeton Field Guides |location=Princeton}}</ref> The '''ringlegged earwig''' ('''''Euborellia annulipes''''') is a species of earwig in the family Anisolabididae.<ref name="FC">{{cite web|author=John L. Capinera|title=Ringlegged earwig - ''Euborellia annulipes'' (Lucas)|url=http://entomology.ifas.ufl.edu/creatures/veg/ringlegged_earwig.htm|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090626064549/http://entomology.ifas.ufl.edu/creatures/veg/ringlegged_earwig.htm|work=Featured Creatures|publisher=Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Division of Plant Industry|location=Florida|date=June 1999|archivedate=26 June 2009|url-status=live|accessdate=18 June 2009}}</ref><ref name="ITIS">{{cite web|url=https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=186041|title=ITIS Standard Report Page: ''Euborellia annulipes''|work=Integrated Taxonomic Information System|accessdate=6 July 2009}}</ref><ref name="CTD">{{cite web|url=http://ctdbase.org/detail.go?type=taxon&acc=146833|title=CTD: ''Euborellia annulipes''|work=The Comparative Toxicogenomics Database|accessdate=6 July 2009}}</ref>
==Description== Adult ''Euborellia annulipes'' are typically dark brown, and {{convert|10|mm|in|1|abbr=on}} to {{convert|25|mm|in|1|abbr=on}} in length.<ref name="FCPS">{{cite web|url=http://www.fcps.edu/islandcreekes/ecology/ring-legged_earwig.htm|title=Ring-legged earwig|work=Study of Northern Virginia Ecology|accessdate=19 July 2009|archive-date=29 July 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160729070051/http://www.fcps.edu/islandcreekes/ecology/ring-legged_earwig.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> It is a wingless species, and like most earwigs, the females are larger than the males. Their legs are a pale brown color, and have a noticeable dark band around the middle of the femur, or occasionally the tibia, hence their common name.<ref name="FC"/> Their antenna generally have sixteen segments, although other numbers are possible.<ref name="FC"/>
Their cerci share similar characteristics to most earwigs, as males' cerci are more curved than females'. Further sex differences can be found in the species abdomen: males have ten abdominal segments, while females have eight.<ref name="FC"/>
==Discovery and habitat== Described by Hippolyte Lucas in 1847, the ringlegged earwig has been known to inhabit the United States since 1902.<ref name="Edward">{{cite journal|jstor=25081661|last=Klostermeyer|first=Edward C.|title=The Life History and Habits of the Ringlegged Earwig, ''Euborellia annulipes'' (Lucus) (Order Dermaptera)|date=January 1942|journal=Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society|volume=15|issue=1|pages=13–18|publisher=Allen Press}}</ref> Over the years, it has obtained a cosmopolitan status, documented all over the world.<ref name="Edward"/>
The species, like other earwigs, tends to inhabit both tropical and temperate climates.<ref name="FC"/>
==Life cycle== thumb|right|Pinned specimen Adult females generally lay eggs in batches, with an average of fifty eggs in each batch, and two to four batches.<ref name="NCSU">{{cite web|url=http://ipm.ncsu.edu/AG268/html/earwigs.htm|title=Earwigs|accessdate=19 July 2009|work=North Carolina Integrated Pest Management Information}}</ref> Eggs are laid at different seasons during the year. If laid in the fall, they will usually incubate over the winter, while those laid in spring will incubate for a shorter time before hatching. During the incubation period, the mother guards the eggs, protecting them from predators, and eating any fungi that starts to grow on them.<ref name="NCSU"/>
A few days after being born, nymphs will leave their nest. They resemble adults in shape, except for their smaller size, and absence of wingpads. Also, while the number of abdominal segments varies in adults depending on sex, nymphs always have ten abdominal segments. They will continue to develop for five instars, which will generally last for 45 and 176 days, until they become adults. Approximately 75% of nymphs will develop into females.<ref name="NCSU"/>
The earwigs will mate soon after they reach adulthood, and after a period of approximately eleven days, the eggs are laid.<ref name="NCSU"/> Ringlegged earwigs generally complete two to three generations per year, or one for spring and one for autumn, and a single generation can be completed in 61 days.<ref name="Edward"/>
Adult ringlegged earwigs can be found throughout the year, except in winter, when they stay underground.<ref name="FC"/>
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * [https://www.flickr.com/photos/askop/3137119610/sizes/o/ High resolution image of the species]
{{Taxonbar |from=Q10489547}}
Category:Anisolabididae Category:Insects of the United States Category:Insects described in 1847