Ctenolepisma longicaudatum

Ctenolepisma longicaudatum
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Zygentoma
Family:	Lepismatidae
Genus:	Ctenolepisma
Species:	C. longicaudatum
Binomial name
Ctenolepisma longicaudatum Escherich, 1905
Synonyms
Lepisma corticola Ridley, 1890 Ctenolepisma (Ctenolepisma) dives Silvestri, 1908 Ctenolepisma (Ctenolepisma) urbana Slabaugh, 1940 Ctenolepisma (Ctenolepisma) coreana Uchida, 1943 Ctenolepisma (Ctenolepisma) pinicola Uchida, 1964

Ctenolepisma longicaudatum, generally known as the gray silverfish, long-tailed silverfish or paper silverfish, is a species of Zygentoma in the family Lepismatidae. It was described by the German entomologist Karl Leopold Escherich in 1905 based on specimens collected in South Africa,^[1] but is found worldwide as synanthrope in human housings.

In recent years, gray silverfish have increasingly become an issue in indoor environments in Europe, especially in newly built houses with a stable climate beneficial for the growth and reproduction of this species. As a food generalist with the ability to digest the cellulose contained in paper and cellulose-based textiles like rayon, Ctenolepisma longicaudatum is considered a pest species in cultural heritage institutions like libraries and archives.