Forficula auricularia is reddish brown in color, with a flattened and elongate body, and slender, beaded antennae. An obvious feature of earwigs is the pair of 'pincers' or forceps at the tip of the flexible abdomen. Both sexes have these pincers; in males they are large and very curved, whereas in females they are straight. Larvae or 'nymphs' are similar to adults in appearance, but their wings are either absent or small.