Gourt > Science > Biology > Flora and Fauna > Animalia > Arthropoda > Insecta > Thysanura
Thysanura is an order of small active insects that includes the familiar silverfish Lepisma saccharina and the firebrat. The order includes about 370 species worldwide, in four families. The insects of the order may be called bristletails, from their three long caudal filaments. The families Machilidae and Meinertellidae of the jumping bristletails were once included with Thysanura, but are now in the order Archaeognatha (= "Microcoryphia").
Silverfish are so called due to the silvery glitter of the scales covering their bodies. Their movement is "fish-like" and makes it look as if they're swimming. They are less than half an inch (1 cm) long and found in damp corners or amongst books and paper in houses. Although accredited with destroying paper and linen, they probably feed only on farinaceous (floury) or sugary substances. Silverfish can sometimes be found in bathtubs or sinks at night, as they have difficulty moving on smooth surfaces and so become trapped. Wild species often are found in habitats such as caves, and some are commensals living in association with ant colonies.
There are no current species formally considered to be at conservation risk, though several are troglobites limited to one or a few caves or cave systems, and these species run an exceptionally high risk of extinction.
More on [ Thysanura ]
Reform Should Make Health the First Item of Business
The PLoS Medicine Editors argue that overcoming inequities and impediments to care in the US health care system will require directly addressing the prioritization of private profits over public health.
Vitamin K Supplementation in Postmenopausal Women with Osteopenia (ECKO Trial): A Randomized Controlled Trial
Angela Cheung and colleagues investigate whether vitamin K1 can prevent bone loss among postmenopausal women with osteopenia.
EurekAlert! - Biology
Study links nicotine with breast cancer growth and spread
Wed, 15 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0400
(American Association for Cancer Research) A study published in Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research, suggests a possible role for nicotine in breast tumor development and metastases.
Innovations in Pediatric Medicine CME conference brings together national pediatrics experts
Tue, 14 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0400
(New York- Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center) In the last decade, biomedical and research breakthroughs, notably in genetics and stem cells, have helped transform the care of children, improving diagnosis and treatment for numerous diseases. On Nov. 8-9, Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital of NewYork-Presbyterian and Columbia University Medical Center will host a conference at the Grand Hyatt New York, titled "Innovations in Pediatric Medicine," to exchange the latest advances in genetics, stem cell therapy, and childhood disease treatment.
Penn State receives new NASA astrobiology grant
Tue, 14 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0400
(Penn State) Developing strategies for finding life on other planets and in extreme environments on Earth will be the focus of Penn State's new astrobiology initiative under a five-year grant from NASA's Astrobiology Institute for "Signatures of Life from Earth and Beyond."
Digital Microscopy at Mount Allison University - Scanning electron micrographs of a silverfish.
Fishmoths (Thysanura) of South Africa - Systematic checklist.
Gordon Ramel's Thysanura Page - Introduction to the biology, classification, and ecology of silverfish, the Thysanura.
Meta Description: [ An Introduction to the biology, classification and ecology of silverfish, The Thysanura ]
Integrated Pest Management in Schools - Identification and control of silverfish, firebrats, and booklice.
Silverfish - Fact sheet from Virginia Tech.
Silverfish and Firebrats - Notes from Iowa State.
Silverfish and Firebrats - Identification, life cycle, and control. An Ohio State University Extension fact sheet.
Meta Description: [ Silverfish and firebrats eat a wide variety of foods, including glue, wallpaper paste, bookbindings, paper, photographs, starch in clothing, cotton, linen, ]
Silverfish and Firebrats (Order Thysanura) - Introduction and images from California.
Silverfish, Firebrat - Basic information from Texas AM University.
Meta Description: [ A Field Guide to Common Texas Insects, Bastiaan Drees and John Jackman. ]
Thysanura - Introduction to silverfish and firebrats from John R. Meyer's Entomology class.
Thysanura - Introduction and images from Discover Life.
Thysanura (Silverfish and Firebrats) - Image, very brief introduction, and references.
Thysanura (Silverfish, Fishmoths) - Introduction from the South African Museum.
Thysanura of North America - Systematic checklist.
| Lepisma saccharina (commonly called the fishmoth, urban silverfish or just the silverfish) is a small, wingless insect ... | |
| Next Video | |
