Bug FAQMata
Anisolabis littorea · Order: Dermaptera · Family: Anisolabididae
Also called: seashore earwig
Mata (Anisolabis littorea) is a blackish-brown earwig about 35 mm long with brown-yellow legs. It lives on New Zealand beaches, hiding under stones and debris, and feeds on small invertebrates such as millipedes, flies and woodlice. Females care for their young, and the larvae undergo five instars before reaching adulthood.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
The body is deep blackish-brown with fulvous (yellow-brown) legs; the head is triangular with two small fulvous spots near the eyes and a short fulvous line on the rear. The abdomen is widest near the seventh segment, dark with slightly fulvous margins, and the forceps are short, slightly hooked, with two or three inner sinuations.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
It measures about 35 mm in length.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It is commonly found on beaches, sheltering under stones and debris.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
It is a carnivore that preys on millipedes, flies and woodlice.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Females look after their young, and the larvae pass through five instars before becoming adults.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
The species is endemic to New Zealand.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
It is similar to the maritime earwig, sharing both ecological niche and taxonomy.
Source: Wikipedia
More photos
Questions people ask
What does Mata eat?
It feeds on small invertebrates such as millipedes, flies and woodlice.
Source: Wikipedia
Is Mata dangerous to people or pets?
We have no source yet on whether it is dangerous.
Source: Wikipedia
How does Mata develop?
Females care for their young, and the larvae go through five growth stages before becoming adults.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Anisolabididae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seashore_earwig
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-24 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-23.