Galapagos Species Database
The Galapagos Species Database shares the information about the species from our Natural History Collections.
Circolabia arcuata
Tijereta, Little Earwig
Scavenger and maybe a predator; in litter and debris; arid to dry pampa and agricultural zones; February-June, December; with functional wings.
Domain
Eukaryota
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Arthropoda
Class
Insecta
Order
Dermaptera
Suborder
Eudermaptera
Superfamily
Forficuloidea
Family
Spongiphoridae
Genus
Circolabia
Species
arcuata
Taxon category: Accepted
Brindle (1969: 334) notes that he thought that this species (as Labia arcuata) may not be a significant record for the Galápagos, and that it is a "casual." However, it is now widspread on three islands, and occurs in native habitats.
Origin: Introduced - established
Year of first record: 1964
Mode of introduction: Accidental
Introduction Pathway: Contaminant
Subpathway: On habitat material (soil, vegetation)
Introduced status: Naturalized
Invasive status: Unlikely to become invasive
Map of specimen collection localities or observation records for this species in our collections database.
Distribution: Floreana, San Cristobal, Santa Cruz
- Peck, S.B. (1996) Diversity and distribution of the orthopteroid insects of the Galápagos Islands, Ecuador. Canadian Journal of Zoology 74: 1497-1510.
- Peck, S.B. Heraty, J., Landry, B. & Sinclair, B.J. (1998) Introduced insect fauna of an oceanic archipelago: The Galápagos Islands, Ecuador. Am. Entomol. 44: 218-237.
- Peck, S.B. (2001) Smaller Orders of Insects of the Galápagos Islands, Ecuador: Evolution, Ecology, and Diversity. NRC Research Press, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, 278 pp.
You are welcome to download and use the information found in this page, acknowledging its source.
This page should be cited as follows:
"Galapagos Species Database, Circolabia arcuata", dataZone. Charles Darwin Foundation, https://datazone.darwinfoundation.org/en/checklist/?species=5709. Accessed 5 November 2026.