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#24: Silverfish


Litinsects #24: Silverfish

 You’ve probably seen these guys in your basement or scurrying around your bathroom floor.

Silverfish are among the most primitive groups of insects, around 400 million years old, and are APTERYGOTES. Here’s some nomenclature again... The prefix “a-“ means “without” so this group consists of members WITHOUT WINGS. Unlike other wingless insects that come from winged ancestors (aka, secondarily lost their wings) silverfish evolved from very primitive, wingless insects.

  • Silverfish are some of the few insects who continue to MOLT into adulthood. They may molt up to 60 times throughout their lives!
  • They are AMETABOLOUS and do not undergo metamorphosis. They are simply born as mini versions, grow with each molt, and are adult once they reach sexual maturity
  • Silverfish tend to avoid light and like relatively humid areas (hence you can find them in your basement/ bathroom)
  • I’m sure you’ve noticed those long antenna-like things at the end of their abdomen! The central one is called a TERMINAL FILAMENT. The two on either side are known as CERCI (singular cercus), which are sensory organs but may also be modified into other structures in some species (remember in earwigs, the cerci are modified into those menacing-looking pincers?)
  • Silverfish aren’t dangerous to humans but feed on polysaccharides so they may do some damage to book bindings, carpets, clothing, paper, etc. They can live up to 10 months without food if water is present!
I found this little guy in an egg carton that was sitting on the counter and, given their usual diet, he was probably chowing on the paper. I think they’re kinda cute, don’t you?
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