Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Dermaptera
Family: Spongiphoridae (Little earwigs)
Genus: Nesogaster
Species: N. halli
Binomial name: Nesogaster halli
Nesogaster halli is a small species of native earwigs.
There are over 20 native species in New Zealand.
The male of the species is the colour brown, shining and is almost hairless. It has a body length of 5-6 mm, excluding the forceps which are 2-3 mm long.
Wing scales prominent, nearly as long as pronotum (the dorsal plate of an insect's prothorax (the dorsal plate of an insect's prothorax). The posterior portion of the head is brown.
There is a dark brown mark between each eye.
The female looks like the male in almost all characters except that her head is solidly dark brown, the pronotum is dark brown with the lateral areas lighter. The female’s body length is 6-8 mm, excluding the forceps which are only 2mm long.
Males have the longer forceps
Females have the shorter forceps
Juvenile.
[http://ketenewplymouth.peoplesnetworknz.info/image_files/0000/0009/4008/Nesogaster_halli.JPG
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Thanks to Wikipedia for text and information: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
