Bug FAQSpine-tailed Earwig
Doru aculeatum · Order: Dermaptera · Family: Forficulidae
Males are 8-11 mm long and females 7.5-10 mm; the wing covers are 2.5-3 mm for both sexes. They are dark chestnut brown with yellow palpi, legs, pronotum edges and the outer two-thirds of the wing covers, and males have a short thorn-like spine between the cerci on the tenth abdominal segment. This species is the only native earwig in the northern United States and extends north into Canada.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
The body is dark chestnut brown with yellow palpi, legs, pronotum edges and the outer two-thirds of the wing covers; males have a short thorn-like spine between the cerci on the tenth abdominal segment.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Males measure 8-11 mm and females 7.5-10 mm in body length; both sexes have wing covers 2.5-3 mm long.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
It is the only native earwig species in the northern United States and occurs as far north as Canada.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 17 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Georgia, New York, Kentucky, North Carolina, Virginia.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in Canada. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
How can I recognize a spine-tailed earwig?
Look for a dark chestnut brown body with yellow legs, palpi, pronotum edges and most of the wing covers, and in males a short thorn-like spine between the cerci on the tenth abdominal segment.
Source: Wikipedia
How big does this earwig get?
Males are 8-11 mm long and females 7.5-10 mm; the wing covers measure 2.5-3 mm for both sexes.
Source: Wikipedia
Is this earwig native to my area?
Yes, it is the only native earwig species in the northern United States and its range extends into Canada.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Forficulidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doru_aculeatum
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-23 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-23.