Chelisochidae is a family of earwigs whose members are commonly known as black earwigs. The family contains a total of approximately 96 species, spread across sixteen genera in three subfamilies.
They are primarily located in the more tropical Afrotropical, Australasian, and Orientalrealms, even though some species, such as Chelisoches morio, are cosmopolitan. They are often dark in color, lending to their common name, and can vary in size. They can be easily identified due to a certain characteristic in their tarsi, involving a ventral projection on the second tarsal segment. Like most earwigs, they are omnivores, and their diet consists of the larvae of leaf-mining insects, as well as certain types of vegetation.
↑"Checklist for CHELISOCHIDAE". Australian Faunal Directory. Australia: Australian Government: Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts. 2008-10-09. Archived from the original on 2011-03-02. Retrieved 2009-06-26.
↑Steinmann, H. (1993). "Dermaptera. Eudermaptera II". Das Tierreich. 108.
123"Family CHELISOCHIDAE". Australian Faunal Directory. Australia: Australian Government: Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts. 2008-10-09. Retrieved 2009-06-26.