Some species emit a foul odor. However, the most common complaint against the earwig is its mere presence in homes and apartments. Its name comes from a European superstition that the insect would enter the ear of a sleeping person and bore into the brain. They are flattened from top to bottom, which allows them to crawl through extremely small cracks. Their color ranges from brown to black and some species have yellow or buff-colored stripes or a reddish coloring on the head and body.
All earwigs have a pair of hardened abdominal appendages which protrude backwards as a tail.
These appendages vary between species and from male to female. Adult earwigs also have a short, leathery pair of wings. A second pair of membranous wings may be folded underneath the first pair. Because of this, the adults are sometimes confused with short-winged beetles, particularly rove beetles. However, the appendages of rove beetles are segmented, shorter and much softer.