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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Silverfish (Zygentoma) » Lepismatidae » Ctenolepisma » Gray Silverfish (Ctenolepisma longicaudatum)
Photo#88228
Fire*brat? (We always called them silverfish.) - Ctenolepisma longicaudatum
Copyright © 2006 Ron Hemberger

Fire*brat? (We always called them silverfish.) - Ctenolepisma longicaudatum
Irvine, Orange County, California, USA
November 22, 2006
Size: guess 1"
We were wrong, right?

Since posting, I've been researching a bit. Neither silverfish nor fire*brat seems a match. This critter was:

Too large (way bigger than either)
Too dry (in the house, nowhere near moisture)
Too cool
Too calm (totally ignored me, inches away)
Too sure-footed (on a vertical suface with a slippery finish)
Too much!

Images of this individual: tag all
Fire*brat? (We always called them silverfish.) - Ctenolepisma longicaudatum Fire*brat? (We always called them silverfish.) - Ctenolepisma longicaudatum
tag · login or register to post comments
Contributed by Ron Hemberger on 22 November, 2006 - 9:23pm
Last updated 11 October, 2007 - 4:32pm

,,,
...unnecessary
… Ron Hemberger, 11 October, 2007 - 4:30pm login or register to post comments

Moved
Moved from Firebrat.
… Ron Hemberger, 11 October, 2007 - 4:27pm login or register to post comments

My silverfish is on the move.
Thanks, Robin, for giving it an ID and new home. It's interesting to me to see they're in the midwest, where I grew up, and SoCal, where I am now.
… Ron Hemberger, 11 October, 2007 - 4:27pm login or register to post comments

Ctenolepisma longicaudata
Gray Silverfish, AKA Giant Silverfish and Long-tailed Silverfish. I made a Guide page here with a description and notes on how to distinguish this species from related ones.
… Robin McLeod, 11 October, 2007 - 2:06pm login or register to post comments

Silverfish are usually hairle
Silverfish are usually hairless with smooth shiny scales. This is a firebrat (same order and family). I don't know the species.
… Dennis Profant, 4 December, 2006 - 10:47pm login or register to post comments

 
Thanks, Dennis
This is just one more indication that my childhood was misspent. LOL.
… Ron Hemberger, 4 December, 2006 - 11:08pm login or register to post comments

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