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Silverfish Centipede
Scientific Name:
Scutigera coleoptrata
Type:
Invertebrate
Habitat:
Temperate climates with dark, humid areas like rock crevices and caves
Range:
Europe, Asia, and North America
Status:
No listed status
This species is
INVASIVE
to the Truckee Meadows.
Identification:
Silverfish centipedes (also known as house centipedes) are common arthropods about an inch-and-a-half long. Their bodies are brown to grayish-yellow and feature dark bands across the back. Silverfish centipedes 15 pairs of long, slender legs that are each banded with white and black. Female silverfish centipedes have hind legs that are more than twice the length of their bodies.
Fast Facts:
Silverfish centipedes prefer moist, dark areas and feed on small insects, their larvae, and spiders.
Silverfish centipedes are nocturnal animals. Over winter, they bury themselves before becoming active again in the spring.
Males create a silk pad where they place their sperm. Females then use that silk pad to fertilize her eggs after-which she buries the eggs in the soil.
Silverfish centipedes are often found in homes, most often in basements, closets, or bathrooms. Despite that, it is also possible to spot them in parks.
While silverfish centipedes are capable of biting humans, they are not considered a threat. Instead, they are more of a nuisance in homes, despite eating many other household pests.
Sources:
Animal Diversity Web, Scutigera coleoptrata, 2001, https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Scutigera_coleoptrata/
Bug Guide, House Centipede, 2018, https://bugguide.net/node/view/25
Image: Sergey Ashmarin, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:House_Centipede_(Scutigera_coleoptrata)_-_Kerch,_Ukraine_-_panoramio.jpg, license https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en, cropped from original.
Contributor(s):
Haley McGuire (research & content)
Alex Shahbazi (edits & page design)