What are the Differences between an Earwig and a Cockroach?

Sometimes, when people encounter earwigs, they believe that they are seeing some fast moving strange cockroach. In fact, for some, any insect found inside a home or business if it is not an ant, is pretty much judged to be a cockroach.

Biologists categorize all living things in a scheme of scientific taxonomy. Over hundreds of years, scientists have looked for similarities in living things in order to categorize these into groups for ease of cataloging.  These categories for animals are:

Kingdom

Phylum

Class

Order

Family

Genus

Species

Earwigs technically and practically, are different from cockroaches. In the hierarchy of biology classification, earwigs and cockroaches are both members of the class Insecta (Hexapods). However, scientists categorize animals based upon the characteristics and so earwigs and cockroaches are not in the same group. So, the Kindom is animal, the phylum is Arthropoda, meaning hard shell. This includes insects, spiders, shrimp, crabs, and many others such as millipedes. Under the class Insecta, all adult members must have six legs; no more, no less. Within the class of insects, then there are numerous orders, such as one including roaches, one including earwigs, one including all beetles, etc.  Within each of these, then, are families or subcategories of the order. Within families are the genra, or multiples of genus. Finally, the species is defined as genetically pure in that there is no other genus as part of the genetic makeup. Or, simply put, with rare exception, only members of one species can commingle and reproduce. That is, a ground beetle cannot mate with a flour beetle.

Earwigs are of the order Dermaptera while cockroaches are of the order Blattodea. Earwigs sometimes fly as do roaches. Earwigs lay eggs directly into the soil or other suitable substance while cockroaches encapsulate their eggs in a casing, or ootheca. Earwig cerci or forceps are usable pincers where the cockroach cerci are not defense or hunting mechanisms.