Family Lepismatidae

Classification · Explanation of Names · Numbers · Size · Identification · Range · Habitat · Food

Is this the Gray Silverfish (Ctenolepisma longicaudata)? - Ctenolepisma longicaudatum

Which Silverfish - Ctenolepisma lineatum

Classification

Kingdom Animalia (Animals)

Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)

Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)

Class Insecta (Insects)

Order Zygentoma (Silverfish)

Family Lepismatidae

Explanation of Names

Lepismatidae Latreille 1802

Numbers

>200 spp. in >40 genera total

Size

up to 19 mm; common spp. 8‒12 mm

Identification

unlike other families in our area, have compound eyes

Range

cosmopolitan

Habitat

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.

Food

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

Contributed by Robin McLeod on 11 November, 2005 - 8:15pm
Additional contributions by margarethe brummermann, ceiseman, v belov
Last updated 20 October, 2023 - 6:08am

Disclaimer: Dedicated naturalists volunteer their time and resources here to provide this service. We strive to provide accurate information, but we are mostly just amateurs attempting to make sense of a diverse natural world. If you need expert professional advice, contact your local extension office.

Contributors own the copyright to and are solely responsible for contributed content.
Click the contributor's name for licensing and usage information.
Everything else copyright © 2003-2025 Iowa State University, unless otherwise noted.

Bugguide is hosted by:

Printer Friendly Version