Horny-Gollach

Horny-gollachs Temporal range: 208–0 Ma PreЄ Є O S D C P T J K Pg N Late Triassic tae Recent
Female common Horny-gollach, Forficula auricularia
Scientific classification
Kinrick:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Subphylum:	Hexapoda
Cless:	Insecta
Order:	Dermaptera De Geer, 1773
Suborders
†Archidermaptera †Eodermaptera Neodermaptera
Synonyms
Euplecoptera Euplexoptera Forficulida

Ae o the smaaest order o beasties, Dermaptera haes juist ower 2,000 species skared amang 16 faimlies. The name Dermaptera means "wings o skin", effeirin tae the striffiny hindwings that fauld in aneath the cutty teuch forewings. Anither kenmerk o the horny-gollachs is the tang-like clippers on the hinder pairt o the abdomen, cried cerci (sing. cercus). Horny-gollachs are kent frae ilka continent less Antarctica.

Horny-gollachs are maistly nocturnal, an coorie doun in sma, clammy neuks in the day an snaik about bi nicht, feedin on a hantle o sindry plants an ither beasties. Gairdners an fermers aye faut horny-gollach wi skaith til their flouers an craps.

Afore bein fu-growed, horny-gollachs maun cast their skin five times in ae year. A guid wheen o species o horny-gollach are kent tae hae canny mitherin o the eggs an new-cleckit young--an unco thing tae see in beasties as a hale.

That they are aye seen in maist gairdens, horny-gollachs are, an hae syne, been cried a wheen o sindry names. The wird gollach itsel comes frae the Scots Gaelic gobhlag, meanin "a stick wi sindert ends", effeirin til the beastie's kenspeckle cerci. Mair bi taiken, the cleek-shapit cerci hae gart fowk cry the beastie sic names as forkietail an clipshears. The name eariwig (frae the Inglis, earwig) effeirs tae the freit o lang syne that the beastie bigs its bourie in a body's lug an sets its eggs on their harns.

Horny-gollachs are fouthie in aa pairts o the warld, but the feck o the 2,000 species bide in the tropics. Whiles, 45 species are kent frae Europe, Great Britain haes juist 7 species (4 hamelt an 3 inbrocht).

 

The feck o horny-gollachs hae a plat body shape, giein them free scowth aneath the bark o trees, an are 5-50mm lang. The maist muckle horny-gollach iver kent wis Labidura herculeana an coud mak 80mm fu growed. Hamelt tae St Helena, it wis last seen in 1967, an in 2014, the IUCN pit it on the inventar o tint species.

A wheen o poems anent horny-gollachs hae been scrievit. A kenspeckle ane in Scots cultur is juist cried "The Horny Gollach" an is bi a unkennt makar.