Common earwiglet, Forficula dentata (=auricularia), 1st instar
A 2.8mm long (excluding antennae & forceps) nymph, beaten by Rockwolf from a grass tussock. Conventional wisdom says this should still be in a nest, being tended by its mother. Some precocious nymphs do apparently leave the nest early, but this is surely too young to be fending for itself. On the other hand, the green colour is food in the gut, so it has fed recently. Goodness knows how far away the nest was, and what was really going on.
Cound, Shropshire.
Common earwiglet, Forficula dentata (=auricularia), 1st instar
A 2.8mm long (excluding antennae & forceps) nymph, beaten by Rockwolf from a grass tussock. Conventional wisdom says this should still be in a nest, being tended by its mother. Some precocious nymphs do apparently leave the nest early, but this is surely too young to be fending for itself. On the other hand, the green colour is food in the gut, so it has fed recently. Goodness knows how far away the nest was, and what was really going on.
Cound, Shropshire.