Order Dermaptera – Family Forficulidae
Their strange name comes from an old superstition that these insects got into people is ears (they do not…I do not think). They live and lay their eggs in plant debris, scavenging or feeding on plants at night. They use their pincerlike cerci in defense, and can pinch painfully. They also squirt a foul-smelling liquid if handled.
1. Start by drawing the head and thorax.
2. Add the long abdomen with curving lines…
3. …and add the nasty-looking cerci at the end.
4. Draw the rear legs…
5. …the middle legs…
6. …and then the front legs and segmented antennae.
7. Add shading, leaving light areas on the back to make the form look round.
I can understand the “ear” part, but where do you suppose the “wig” comes from?