SILVERFISH

Tavishi

The silverfish: a home pest and Minecraft mob. In Minecraft, they are hostile mobs, and in real life, they are treated like pests. Silverfish are misunderstood, and yes, they do cause damage to your house, but look at that face...

Silverfish are pretty cool, and dare I say cute. First off, despite the misnomer, silverfish are not in fact fish- they are insects. Silverfish are some of the most primitive insects, and have long occupied a very specific niche. They're very hardy little things, and eat paper, wood, and practically anything.

They prefer cellulose-based food, and are vegetarian. However, they will occasionally feed on dead insects, but otherwise, are not carnivorous. They live in the dark, and like humid environments. Because they like the dark, they live in lots of small crevices. They have poor jumping capabilities, a flattened body, and very bad vision. That's why you've probably seen them crawling out of your drain. Silverfish are apterygotes, or wingless insects. You may ask how we can tell that silverfish are so primitive, with silverfish being estimated to have evolved anywhere from the Silurian to mid-Devonian period, a time period known for the evolution of jawed fish. Silverfish are older than land animals! Well, for one, we've found fossils dating back pretty old. But looking at their morphology, we can also infer their age. For one, silverfish are wingless, and the development of wings mark a significant change in the history of insects. Other characteristics in silverfish marking just how old they are include eversible vesicles and large abdominal sterna. Eversible vesicles are tubes used for transport across the body, as well as a variety of other functions. Eversible vesicles extend from the collophore, and are controlled by four muscles. Eversible vesicles are a characteristic of apterogytes and other invertebrates like spiders. The abdominal sterna are plates covering each abdominal segment, and in apterogytes, are frequently flattened and large. Another cool thing about silverfish is their mating behavior. They have a complex courting ritual, which can last around half an hour. (For humans, we'd consider that kinda hasty, but..) The courting includes three steps. First, the male and female "butt heads". They vibrate and touch their antennae together, then back off and repeat over and over. Next, the female chases the male, until finally, the male vibrates his tail against the female. Copulation then ensues!