First record of the maritime earwig Anisolabis maritima (Bonelli, 1832) (dermaptera: Anisolabididae) from South Africa

Abstract

The first records of the maritime earwig Anisolabis maritima from South Africa are reported. The species was first discovered in 2015 in the upper intertidal zone of an artificial rubble causeway at Port Shepstone, on the east coast of South Africa, where it appears to feed on driftline isopods and amphipods. The study site operated briefly as a harbour from 1880–1902, suggesting that this introduction took place via shipping at that time and has remained undetected for more than a century.