silverfish

silverfish

1. a silver variety of the goldfish Carassius auratus

2. any of various other silvery fishes, such as the moonfish Monodactylus argenteus

3. any of various small primitive wingless insects of the genus Lepisma, esp L. saccharina, that have long antennae and tail appendages and occur in buildings, feeding on food scraps, bookbindings, etc.: order Thysanura (bristletails)

Collins Discovery Encyclopedia, 1st edition © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

silverfish

[′sil·vər‚fish]

(invertebrate zoology)

Any of over 350 species of insects of the order Thysanura; they are small, wingless forms with biting mouthparts.

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.

Silverfish

 

(Lepisma saccharinum), a wingless insect of the subclass Apterygota of the order Thysanura. The narrow body reaches 11 mm in length. It has three long caudal bristles and is covered with fine silvery scales after the third molting. Silverfish reach sexual maturity after ten moltings; development from the egg to adult takes about three years. Adults are able to molt as well. Silverfish are thermophile but can be found everywhere. The insects prefer moist and dark places. They are nocturnal. Silverfish inhabit houses, food storehouses, stores, mills, libraries, and other places. They can infest sugar, bread, flour, groats, paper, wallpaper, and leather.

The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition (1970-1979). © 2010 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.