Silverfish
Classification
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
|---|---|
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Zygentoma |
| Family: | Lepismatidae |
| Genus: | Lepisma |
| Species: | saccharinum |
Description
Silverfish have a body length from 10 to 12 millimeters, but have been recorded to reach 25 millimeters, and are silver, gray, brown, or black in color. Two long antennae and 11 segments with fish-like scales cover their carrot-shaped bodies. Three filaments make up the "tail" of the body and they have six legs [3].
Range and Habitat
Silverfish, or Lepisma saccharinum, are found worldwide but they are commonly found in North America, Europe, Japan, and China. Their origin is still unknown because their distribution is so vast but they are likely from a tropical region originally [4].
Lepisma saccharinum prefer moist dark habitats, often living under rocks and in the leaf litter. Silverfish have adapted to living in manmade structures such as basements, kitchens, attics, and bathrooms. Typically residing in cracks, walls, shingles or between floorboards [4].
Diet and Behavior
Lepisma saccharinum are omnivores and tend to eat food scraps, glue on book bindings and wallpaper, starch in clothing, dead insects including other silverfish, plants, cellulose, and if there is no food, they have been recorded to go 307 days without any food [4].
Silverfish are often predated by centipedes, earwigs, and spiders. If they get attacked, they can remove their scales in an attempt to escape a web or predator [4]. They are fast, but cannot jump [5]. They evolved to be nocturnal to avoid predators and humans, they are extremely skittish. While silverfish are considered solitary, if there is a big enough food source, they will congregate. Silverfish are also decomposers, breaking down dead leaves and wood [5].
With other insects, silverfish have symbiotic relationships. They can be found in termite and ant nests, demonstrating "nest commensalism" [4].
References
- ↑ Jump up to: 1.0 1.1 Christian Fischer. 2013. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:LepismaSaccharina.jpg. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons.
- ↑ 2006. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Silverfish_(Lepisma_saccharina).jpg" AJC ajcann.wordpress.com from UK, href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0">CC BY-SA 2.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons.
- ↑ Claire Labuda. 2025. University of Michigan. Animal Diversity Web. https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Lepisma_saccharina/.
- ↑ Jump up to: 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 Claire Labuda. 2025. University of Michigan. Animal Diversity Web. https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Lepisma_saccharina/.
- ↑ Jump up to: 5.0 5.1 5.2 Robin McLeod. 2006. Bug Guide. https://bugguide.net/node/view/40366.
- ↑ 2006. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Silverfish_(Lepisma_saccharina).jpg" AJC ajcann.wordpress.com from UK, href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0">CC BY-SA 2.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons.
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