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.
Nomenclature
Most authors have historically treated the nomenclatural gender of Ctenolepisma 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 Ctenolepisma longicaudatum (formerly longicaudata).
Diversity
There are roughly 75 extant species presently recognized as valid in the genus, and one fossil:
- Ctenolepisma abyssinicum <small>Mendes, 1982</small> (Ethiopia)
- Ctenolepisma africanellum <small>Wygodzinsky, 1955</small> (South Africa)
- Ctenolepisma algharbicum <small>Mendes, 1978</small> (Portugal)
- Ctenolepisma almeriense <small>Molero-Baltanás, Gaju-Ricart & Bach de Roca, 2005</small> (Spain)
- Ctenolepisma alticola <small>Silvestri, 1935</small> (Karakorum)
- Ctenolepisma angustiellum <small>Silvestri, 1949</small> (Africa)
- Ctenolepisma barchanicum <small>Kaplin, 1985</small> (Turkmenistan)
- Ctenolepisma basilewskyi <small>Wygodzinsky, 1965</small> (Kenya)
- Ctenolepisma boettgerianum <small>Paclt, 1961</small> (India)
- Ctenolepisma burmanicum <small>(Parona, 1892)</small> (Myanmar) <br><small>[Synonym: Lepisma burmanica Parona, 1892]</small>
- Ctenolepisma cabindae <small>Mendes, 2002d</small> (Angola)
- Ctenolepisma calvum <small>(Ritter, 1910)</small> (Sri Lanka) <br><small>[Synonym: Peliolepisma calva Ritter, 1910]</small>
- Ctenolepisma ciliatum <small>(Dufour, 1831)</small> (Mediterranean; Cape Verde; Afghanistan; Iran)<br><small>[Synonyms: Lepisma ciliata Dufour, 1831, Ctenolepisma fuliginosa (Lucas, 1846), Lepisma fuliginosa Lucas, 1846] </small>
- Ctenolepisma conductrix <small>Silvestri, 1918</small> (Libya)
- Ctenolepisma confalonieri <small>Silvestri, 1932</small> (Africa)
- Ctenolepisma decellei <small>Mendes, 1982</small> (Chad)
- Ctenolepisma desaegeri <small>Mendes, 1982</small> (Democratic Republic of the Congo)
- Ctenolepisma dewittei <small>Mendes, 1982</small> (Democratic Republic of the Congo)
- Ctenolepisma dubitale <small>Wygodzinsky, 1959</small> (Leeward Island)
- Ctenolepisma dzhungaricum <small>Kaplin, 1982</small> (Kazakhstan)
- â Ctenolepisma electrans <small>Mendes, 1998b</small> (Dominican amber)
- Ctenolepisma fasciatum <small>(Lucas, 1863)</small> (Senegal) doubtful
- Ctenolepisma feae <small>Silvestri, 1908</small> (Cape Verde)
- Ctenolepisma gabuense <small>Mendes, 1985</small> (Guinea-Bissau)
- Ctenolepisma guadianicum <small>Mendes, 1992</small> (Portugal)
- Ctenolepisma guanche <small>Mendes, 1993</small> (Canary Islands)
- Ctenolepisma guineense <small>Mendes, 1985</small> (Guinea-Bissau)
- Ctenolepisma gunini <small>Kaplin, 1989</small> (Mongolia)
- Ctenolepisma halophila <small>Kaplin, 1981</small> (Turkmenistan)
- Ctenolepisma howa <small>Escherich in Voeltzkow, 1910</small> (Madagascar)
- Ctenolepisma hummelincki <small> Wygodzinsky, 1959</small> (Windward Islands)
- Ctenolepisma immane <small>Mendes, 2004</small> (Socotra)
- Ctenolepisma incita <small>Silvestri, 1918</small> (Africa)
- Ctenolepisma insulicola <small>Mendes, 1984</small> (Greece)
- Ctenolepisma iranicum <small>Molero, Kahrarian & Gaju, 2016</small> (Iran)
- Ctenolepisma kaszabi <small>Wygodzinsky, 1970a</small> (Mongolia)
- Ctenolepisma kermanshanum <small>Molero, Kahrarian & Gaju, 2016</small> (Iran)
- Ctenolepisma kervillei <small>Silvestri, 1911</small> (Syria, Iran, Oman)
- Ctenolepisma kuhitangicum <small>Kaplin, 1993</small> (Turkmenistan)
- Ctenolepisma latisternatum <small>Mendes, 1993</small> (Congo Basin)
- Ctenolepisma lindbergi <small>Wygodzinsky, 1955</small> (Cape Verde)
- Ctenolepisma lineatum <small>(Fabricius, 1775)</small> – four-lined silverfish (Europe); the type species of the genus Ctenolepisma
- Ctenolepisma longicaudatum <small>Escherich, 1905</small> (syn. C. urbana) – grey silverfish (cosmopolitan)
- Ctenolepisma madagascariense <small>Escherich in Voeltzkow, 1910</small> (Madagascar)
- Ctenolepisma maroccanum <small>Mendes, 1980</small> (Morocco)
- Ctenolepisma nigericum <small>Mendes, 1982</small> (Nigeria)
- Ctenolepisma nigrum <small>(Oudemans in Weber, 1890)</small> (syn. Lepisma nigra) (Indonesia, India)
- Ctenolepisma petiti <small>(Lucas, 1840)</small> (syn. Lepisma petiti) (Senegal) doubtful
- Ctenolepisma picturatum <small>Wygodzinsky, 1955</small> (South Africa)
- Ctenolepisma pinicola <small>Uchida, 1964</small> (Japan)
- Ctenolepisma pretorianum <small>Wygodzinsky, 1955</small> (South Africa)
- Ctenolepisma przewalskyi <small>Kaplin, 1982</small> (Kyrgyzstan)
- Ctenolepisma roszkowskii <small>Stach, 1935</small> (Israel, Tunisia)
- Ctenolepisma rothschildi <small>Silvestri, 1907</small> (syn. C. diversisquamis, C. reducta) (Africa; Iran)
- Ctenolepisma sabirovae <small>Kaplin, 1980</small> (Turkmenistan)
- Ctenolepisma sagartianum <small>Molero, Kahrarian & Gaju, 2016</small> (Iran)
- Ctenolepisma sanctaehelenae <small>Wygodzinsky, 1970b</small> (Saint Helena)
- Ctenolepisma sergii <small>Kaplin, 1982</small> (Kazakhstan)
- Ctenolepisma serranoi <small>Mendes, 1985</small> (syn. C. gambiana) (Guinea-Bissau)
- Ctenolepisma somaliense <small>Mendes, 1988</small> (Somalia)
- Ctenolepisma submagnum <small>Silvestri, 1908</small> (Guinea-Bissau)
- Ctenolepisma subterraneum <small>Molero, Tahami, Sadeghi & Gaju, 2018</small>
- Ctenolepisma sudanicum <small>Mendes, 1982</small> (Sudan)
- Ctenolepisma tanzanicum <small>Mendes, 1982</small> (Tanzania)
- Ctenolepisma targionianum <small>Silvestri, 1908</small> (Africa, Americas)
- Ctenolepisma targionii <small>(Grassi & Rovelli, 1889)</small> (syn. Lepisma targionii) (Mediterranean)
- Ctenolepisma tavaresi <small>Navás, 1906</small> (Portugal) doubtful
- Ctenolepisma tenebricum <small>Silvestri, 1949</small> (central Africa)
- Ctenolepisma terebrans <small>Silvestri, 1908</small> (South Africa)
- Ctenolepisma terebrans pluriseta <small>Silvestri, 1908</small> (Africa)
- Ctenolepisma terebrans terebrans <small>Silvestri, 1908</small>
- Ctenolepisma turcomanicum <small>Kaplin, 1993</small> (Turkmenistan)
- Ctenolepisma unipectinatum <small>Mendes, 1982</small> (Kenya)
- Ctenolepisma unistila <small>Silvestri, 1908</small> (Cape Verde)
- Ctenolepisma vanharteni <small>Mendes, 2004</small> (Socotra)
- Ctenolepisma versluysi <small>Escherich, 1905</small> (Mexico, Antilles)
- Ctenolepisma vieirai <small>Mendes, 1981</small> (Madeira)
- Ctenolepisma villosum <small>(Fabricius, 1775)</small> (syn. Lepisma villosa) (China, Japan, Korea)
- Ctenolepisma wahrmani <small>Wygodzinsky, 1952</small> (Brazil)
- Ctenolepisma weberi <small>Escherich, 1905</small> (South Africa)
Gallery
References
Further reading