Lepisma

Lepisma
Temporal range: Late Miocene–Present
Silverfish
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Zygentoma
Family: Lepismatidae
Genus: Lepisma
Linnaeus, 1758
Species[1]

Lepisma is a genus of primitive insects in the order Zygentoma and the family Lepismatidae.[2]

The most familiar member of the genus Lepisma is the silverfish (L. saccharinum), a cosmopolitan species that likes damp habitats, tends to hide in crevices and is usually found in human habitations, becoming household pests under certain conditions.[3] While the common name silverfish is used throughout the global literature to refer to various species of Zygentoma, the Entomological Society of America restricts use of the term solely for Lepisma saccharinum.[4]

  1. ^ Smith, G.B. (2018). "Checklist of the World Zygentoma Fauna (unpublished)". The contribution of silverfish (Insecta: Zygentoma) to Australian invertebrate biodiversity and endemism (Ph.D thesis). Ballarat: Federation University Australia. pp. 64–75.
  2. ^ Sturm, H (2009). "Zygentoma". In Resh, V.H.; Cardé, R.T. (eds.). Encyclopedia of Insects (2nd edn.). Academic Press / Elsevier. pp. 1070–2.
  3. ^ Barnard, Peter (2011). The Royal Entomological Society Book of British Insects. John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
  4. ^ Phillips, Eleanor F.; Gillett-Kaufman, Jennifer L. (2018). "Silverfish - Lepisma saccharina". Featured Creatures - Entomology and Nematology Department, University of Florida. Retrieved 10 January 2021.