Litinsects

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...