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Earwig
Elaunon bipartitus
-27.451, 153.102
Field Notes
Description:
Small earwig about 1 cm in length, possibly a nymph, found inside the calyx of Wild Gooseberry (Physalis angulata). There were no signs of feeding on the fruit, nor any obvious signs of burrowing through the calyx skin. Elaunon bipartitus have distinctive reddish orange wing covers with a central brown stripe. They are nocturnal, omnivorous and known to feed on mealybugs. Elaunon belongs to the large cosmopolitan family Forficulidae that has only four species in Australia.
Habitat:
This spotting was by the Metroplex wetlands in Murarrie, Brisbane QLD. Earwigs usually like moist environments in leaf litter, mulch and debris on the ground, but this one was found in the calyx of a Wild Gooseberry. A mystery?!
Notes:
Image search of this species show the ID of this spotting to be correct. Thanks, martinl, for your suggestion.
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