Dermaptera is an order of insects that contains earwigs. This is a comparatively small order comprising about 1800 species. Dermaptera refers to the leathery fore wing (dermatos: skin, pteron: wing, both words of Greek origin) Dermapterans are elongate and slender insects with a prognathous head. Most Dermaptera are uniformly colored brown or black, sometimes with a light brown or yellow pattern; other colors, like metallic green, are real exceptions. They are distributed throughout the world (except polar-regions), with greatest diversity in the tropics. Not very much is known about the natural history of the Dermaptera. (Tree of Life Web Project)