Lepisma

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Lepisma
Temporal range: Late Miocene–Present
Silberfischchen.jpg
Silverfish
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
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]

Contents

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]

Nomenclature

Most authors have historically treated the nomenclatural gender of Lepisma as feminine, but in 2018 the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature issued a formal ruling (ICZN Opinion 2427) stating the gender of Lepisma (and all genera with that ending) is neuter, following ICZN Article 30, which resulted in changes to the spelling of several well-known species, including Lepisma saccharinum (formerly saccharina). [5]

Related Research Articles

Binomial nomenclature System of identifying species of organisms using a two-part name

In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature, also called binominal nomenclature or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, both of which use Latin grammatical forms, although they can be based on words from other languages. Such a name is called a binomial name, a binomen, binominal name or a scientific name; more informally it is also called a Latin name.

Ovipositor Anatomical structure for laying eggs

The ovipositor is a tube-like organ used by some animals, especially insects, for the laying of eggs. In insects, an ovipositor consists of a maximum of three pairs of appendages. The details and morphology of the ovipositor vary, but typically its form is adapted to functions such as preparing a place for the egg, transmitting the egg, and then placing it properly. For most insects, the organ is used merely to attach the egg to some surface, but for many parasitic species, it is a piercing organ as well.

International Code of Zoological Nomenclature Code of scientific nomenclature for animals

The International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN) is a widely accepted convention in zoology that rules the formal scientific naming of organisms treated as animals. It is also informally known as the ICZN Code, for its publisher, the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature. The rules principally regulate:

Firebrat Insect similar to a silverfish

The firebrat is a small hexapod, in the order Zygentoma.

<i>Eristalis</i> Genus of flies

Eristalis is a large genus of hoverflies, family Syrphidae, in the order Diptera. Several species are known as drone flies because they bear a resemblance to honeybee drones.

Lepismatidae Family of silverfishes

Lepismatidae is a family of primitive wingless insects with about 190 described species. This family contains the two most familiar members of the order Zygentoma: the silverfish and the firebrat. It is one of five families in the order Zygentoma.

Zygentoma Order of insects

Zygentoma are an order in the class Insecta, and consist of about 550 known species. The Zygentoma include the so-called silverfish or fishmoths, and the firebrats. A conspicuous feature of the order are the three long caudal filaments. The two lateral filaments are cerci, and the medial one is an epiproct or appendix dorsalis. In this they resemble the Archaeognatha, although the cerci of Zygentoma, unlike in the latter order, are nearly as long as the epiproct.

<i>Ctenolepisma</i> Genus of silverfishes

Ctenolepisma is a genus of primitive insects in the order Zygentoma, closely related to the silverfish and firebrat but less reliant on human habitation, some species being found both indoors and outdoors and some found exclusively outdoors. The genus is distributed nearly worldwide in warm regions. Australia lacks native Ctenolepisma, but is home to introduced species.

<i>Ctenolepisma lineatum</i> Species of silverfish

Ctenolepisma lineatum is a species of insect of the order Zygentoma. It is generally similar to the closely related silverfish but can be distinguished by being rather stouter and less shiny with all appendages noticeably longer. The abdomen is often marked with dark brown lines and the species is sometimes called four-lined silverfish.

A silverfish is a wingless insect in the order Zygentoma. The same name can be applied to many species in the order as a whole, which comprises the families the Lepismatidae, Nicoletiidae, Lepidotrichidae, Maindroniidae and Protrinemuridae.

<i>Pyrops</i> Genus of true bugs

Pyrops is a genus of planthoppers that occur primarily in southeast Asia, containing about 70 species. They are fairly large insects, with much of the length due to an elongated, upcurving, snout-like projection of the head. The wings are generally brightly patterned in contrasting colors, and they are popular among collectors.

Silverfish Species of insect in the order Zygentoma

The silverfish is a species of small, primitive, wingless insect in the order Zygentoma. Its common name derives from the insect's silvery light grey colour, combined with the fish-like appearance of its movements. The scientific name indicates that the silverfish's diet consists of carbohydrates such as sugar or starches. 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.

<i>Eristalis horticola</i> Species of fly

Eristalis horticola is a Palearctic species of hoverfly.

Tricholepisma is a genus of primitive insects belonging to the family Lepismatidae.

<i>Liancalus</i> Genus of flies

Liancalus is a genus of flies in the family Dolichopodidae. It contains at least 21 species distributed worldwide except in Australasia and Oceania. The genus includes some of the largest species in the family, with body length approaching 12 mm in some species.

<i>Eumolpus</i> (beetle) Genus of leaf beetles

Eumolpus is a genus of leaf beetles in the subfamily Eumolpinae. It includes 40 species, most of which have a large size and include some of the largest members of the subfamily. They are distributed throughout the Neotropical realm, though one species has been recorded as far north as Arizona, and the genus is not found in the Caribbean.

Thermobia aegyptiaca is a species of silverfish in the family Lepismatidae. The species was described by Hippolyte Lucas in 1840 based on specimens collected in Egypt. Thermobia aegyptiaca is distributed in Africa and the eastern Mediterranean Basin.

<i>Colpocephalum</i> Genus of lice

Colpocephalum is a genus of chewing louse. Christian Ludwig Nitzsch named the genus in 1818. The Plenary Powers of the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature selected Colpocephalum zebraBurmeister, 1838 as its type species in the 1950s. There are approximately 135 species in this genus, and they are ectoparasites of birds in at least a dozen different orders.

<i>Ctenolepisma longicaudatum</i> Species of insect

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, but is found worldwide as synanthrope in human housings.

Sceletolepisma is a genus of primitive insects closely related to the silverfish and firebrat but less reliant on human habitation, some species being found both indoors and outdoors and some found exclusively outdoors. The genus is distributed nearly worldwide in warm regions.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Lepisma- IRMNG
  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.
  5. ICZN (2018). "Opinion 2427 (Case 3704) – Lepisma Linnaeus, 1758 (Insecta, Zygentoma, Lepismatidae): Direction 71 (1957) reversed". The Bulletin of Zoological Nomenclature. 75 (1): 290–294. doi:10.21805/bzn.v75.a064.