Family Lepismatidae

Lepismatidae Latreille 1802

>200 spp. in >40 genera total

up to 19 mm; common spp. 8‒12 mm

unlike other families in our area, have compound eyes

cosmopolitan

often found indoors in warm, damp environments; the Common Silverfish (Lepisma saccharina) is frequently seen in bathrooms and kitchens, whereas the Firebrat (Thermobia domestica) is usually found in basements around furnaces and in insulation around hot water and heating pipes; these and other species also occur outdoors under bark, in leaf litter, caves, ant nests, etc.

starchy foods, cereals, moist wheat flour, glue on book bindings and wallpaper; outdoor individuals eat lichens