Ctenolepisma longicaudatum
Creators: name: Raphel, Sheeba
name: Jose, Joyce
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2025
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Zygentoma
Lepismatidae
Ctenolepisma
Ctenolepisma longicaudatum

description: Ctenolepisma longicaudatum (Escherich,1905)
(Figs. 2‒14)
Materials Examined. India, Kerala, specimens from 13 sites (Table 2) among old wooden articles, S. Raphel, coll. Specimens in alcohol deposited at Zoological Survey of India, Western Ghat Regional Centre, Kozhikode, with registration numbers ZSI/ WGRC /I. R.-INV.26924 and ZSI/ WGRC /I. R.-INV.26925.
Body sub-cylindrical, elongated and tapering posteriorly; length up to 13 mm (Fig. 2). Epidermic pigmentation light golden yellow dorsally, lighter ventrally. Dorsally covered with dark grayish or brownish scales and ventrally with light yellowish scales. Scales rounded with dense parallel ribs; relatively homogeneous structures, only differing in size (Fig. 3).
Head wider (1.35–1.70 mm) than long (0.9–1.1 mm), with tufts of bifid and pectinate macrosetae on frontal region, 1+1 tufts of macrosetae on clypeus and 1+1 small tufts of macrosetae on labrum. Eyes black with 12 ommatidia, located well behind the antennae. Antennae length 10‒13 mm. Five-segmented maxillary palp, with the apical article about 5.9– 6.5 times longer than wide and almost same length as that of the penultimate article. Four-segmented labial palps with distal article wider at the apex than at the base (L/W 1–1.3) and usually with five sensory papillae (Fig. 4) but sometimes with more than 10 papillae arranged in a single row (Fig. 5).
Thorax wider than abdomen; thorax width up to 3.25 mm, thorax length up to 4.1 mm. Pronotal collar with 4–5 rows of bristles in the centre and single row towards the anterolateral side; lateral margin of pronotum with (9–10) + (10–11) bristle combs of 3–6 macrosetae each. Trichobothrial areas of the pronotum situated on inner side of last (N) and the anterior on the inner side of antepenultimate (N-4) bristle-combs (Fig. 6). Mesonotum lateral margins with (11–12) + (12–15) bristle combs of 3–6 macrosetae (Fig. 7). Trichobothrial areas of the mesonotum situated on last (N) and the anterior on outer side of antepenultimate (N-2) bristle-combs. Metanotum (Fig. 8) lateral margins with (10–11) + (10–11) bristle combs of 2–6 macrosetae. Trichobothrial areas of the metanotum located on last (N) and the anterior on outer side of (N-1) bristle-combs. All nota provided with 1+1 bristle combs of 6–7 setae on the posterolateral region.
Prosternum (L/W: 1.3–1.4) and mesosternum (L/W: 1.1–1.3), slightly longer than wide; metanotum wider than long (L/W: 0.85–0.1) (Fig. 9). Prosternum with 3–5+ 3–5 bristle combs of 3–10 macrosetae on its subapical area. Mesosternum (Fig. 10) with 2–5 + 2–5 bristle combs of 4–12 macrosetae on its subapical area. Metasternum (Fig. 11) with 1 + 1 subapical combs of more than 20 macrochaetae, arranged in a single row; few scattered setae also visible between the comb and the margin.
Legs stout; protibiae 2.4–2.8 times longer than wide; mesotibiae 3.1–3.82 times longer than wide and about 1.2–1.3 times longer than the protibiae; metatibiae 4–5 times longer than wide and about 1.87–1.9 times longer than the protibiae. Tarsi L/W PI 6.7–7.5, PII 7.7–12.6, PIII 10.5–13.66. Pretarsi with two curved lateral claws and a medial claw. Coxae and femora covered ventrally by rounded scales similar to those of the body; remaining articles of leg devoid of scales.
Urotergite I with 1+1 infra-lateral bristle-combs composed of 6–8 macrosetae. Urotergites II– VI with 3+3 bristle-combs; infra lateral bristle combs with 5–10 macrosetae, lateral combs with 5–7 macrosetae and sub-median bristle combs with 6–7 macrosetae. Urotergite VII and VIII with 2+2 bristle-combs, each lateral bristle comb composed of 11 macrosetae and sub-median bristle combs with 7–8 macrosetae. Urotergite IX without bristle combs. Urotergite X (Fig. 12) trapezoidal in shape with 1+1 bristle-combs of 8–10 macrosetae; few scattered setae towards the tip.
Urosternites I and II without setae. Urosternites III–VII with 1+1 lateral combs of 17–20 macrosetae. The lateral combs of urosternite VIII with 12–13 macrosetae. The number of macrosetae per bristle comb on urotergites and urosternites as in Table 4. Both sexes bear two pairs of stylets inserted on abdominal segments VIII and IX (Figs. 13, 14), armed apically with several strong spines. Ratio of length of styli IX/ length of styli VIII is 1.25–2.
Coxite IX in male with fringe of setae along internal margin; internal process about 1.8–4.5 times longer than the external process and 1.08–1.18 (L/W) times as long as broad at its base. Penis with numerous apical setae. Parameres absent (Fig. 13).
Genital region of female shown in Fig. 14. Inner process of coxite IX long, triangular and pointed at tip about 2–2.7 times longer than wide at its base and 2.7–5 times longer than the external process. Very long ovipositor with 40–48 divisions and its length measures 2.5–3.8 mm from the base of urosternite VIII; surpassing the apex of the internal processes of coxite IX by 2–3.75 times coxite IX length.
description: Published as part of Raphel, Sheeba & Jose, Joyce, 2025, Description of two synanthropic silverfish (Insecta: Zygentoma), Ctenolepisma longicaudatum (Escherich, 1905) and Ctenolepisma rothschildi (Silvestri, 1907), from Kerala, India, pp. 309-324 in Zootaxa 5570 (2) on pages 311-314, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5570.2.4, http://zenodo.org/record/14735032