Articles for tag: behavioral adaptation, female earwigs, forceps morphology, insect evolution, sexual selection

Female earwig in a leaf

Female Earwigs: The Unexpected Role of Their Forceps

April Joy Jovita

New research has revealed that female earwigs may use their forceps as weapons when competing for mates, challenging previous assumptions that only males evolved these structures for combat. Scientists from Toho University found that female earwigs exhibit exaggerated forceps growth, similar to males, suggesting that sexual selection may have influenced both sexes. This discovery broadens ...