Ctenolepisma rothschildi , Silvestri 1907
Creators: name: Raphel, Sheeba
name: Jose, Joyce
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2025
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Zygentoma
Lepismatidae
Ctenolepisma
Ctenolepisma rothschildi

description: Ctenolepisma rothschildi Silvestri, 1907
(Figs. 15 ‒27)
Materials Examined. India, Kerala, specimens from 44 sites (Table 3), mostly from books and papers, S. Raphel, coll. Specimens in alcohol deposited at Zoological Survey of India, Western Ghat Regional Centre, Kozhikode and the registration numbers are ZSI/ WGRC /I. R.-INV.26926 and ZSI/ WGRC /I. R.-INV.26927.
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Elongated body, generally parallel-sided, gradually tapering towards the posterior end (Fig. 15). Body length up to 9.8 mm (♀) and 7.3 mm (♂). Epidermal colour light straw; covered with dark brownish to blackish scales dorsally and whitish yellow scales ventrally. Length of antenna up to 7.05 mm and that of cerci and paracercus 4.75 mm and 4.5 mm, respectively. Macrosetae plumose. Scales oval, globular or subtriangular, of varying sizes (Fig. 16), usually with 20–30 fine rays or 10-16 widely spaced, thicker rays.
Head wider (0.9–1.1 mm) than long (0.5–0.7 mm); anterior margin of head with tufts of bifid and pectinate macrochaetae laterally extending to the eye and 1+1 frontal tufts of macrosetae on the frontal margin; clypeus and labrum also with 1+1 tufts of setae. Five-segmented maxillary palps; apical article 5–8.7 times longer than wide and about the same length as the penultimate article (0.9–1.2). Four-segmented labial palps with apical article wider than long (L/ W 0.75 –0.86 mm) and with 5 papillae in a single row (Fig. 17).
Thorax wider than abdomen. Maximum thorax width 2.18 mm; maximum thorax length 3.3 mm. Pronotal collar with 2–4 rows of bristle combs in the centre and single towards anterolateral margins. Pronotum (Fig. 18) with (8–9) + (8–9) bristle combs on the lateral margins composed of 2–4 macrosetae. Mesonotum (Fig. 19) with (10–11) + (11– 12) bristle combs composed of 2 to 4 macrosetae; metanotum (Fig. 20) with (8–10) + (9–11) lateral combs of 1–3 macrosetae. All nota with 1+1 posterior combs of 2–3 macrosetae. Trichobothrial areas in pronotum, posterior on inner side of the last (N) comb and the anterior one, on the inner side of N–3 bristle comb. In mesonotum posterior associated to the innerside of last (N) combs and posterior on the outer side of antepenultimate (N–2) comb and to the two last combs (N and N–1) in the metanotum.
Prosternum (L/ W 1.24) (Fig. 21) and mesosternum (L/ W 1.26) (Fig. 22) of approximately equal size and rounded subtriangular shape. Both with 1+1 posterior submarginal combs of 3–4 and 5–6 macrosetae, respectively, and with some marginal setae between comb and margin. Metasternum (Fig. 23) broader (width 1.07 mm) than previous segments, with 1+1 posterior submarginal combs of 6 macrosetae and numerous setae along the posterior margin.
Protibiae 2.65–2.74 times longer than wide; mesotibiae 3–3.6 times longer than wide and about 1–1.2 times longer than the protibiae; metatibiae 3.25–4.3 times longer than wide and about 1.3–1.6 times longer than the protibiae. Tarsal L/W: foretarsi 7.5, middle tarsi 7.5, hind tarsi 9.3–11. Basal article of tarsi longer than the remaining three together. Pretarsi with two strong, curved lateral claws and a smaller medial claw; coxae with broad, rounded scales along outer margin. Femur with small, narrow scales along proximal two-thirds of outer margin; remaining articles devoid of scales.
Urotergite I with 1+1 infralateral combs of 3–4 macrosetae, urotergites II– V with 3+3 bristle combs, urotergites VI –VIII with 2+2 combs, urotergite IX without combs; urotergite X trapezoidal in shape (Fig. 24) with 1+1 combs of 3 macrosetae and several marginal setae. Urosternites I and II glabrous, urosternites III–VIII with 1+1 lateral combs of 4–10 macrosetae each. Macrosetal numbers per comb on urotergites and urosternites given in Table 4.
rothschildi.
Two pairs of styli in both sexes inserted on abdominal segments VIII and IX, armed apically with several strong spines. Stylets of IX more developed than that of VIII. The ratio length of styli IX/ length of styli VIII in female is about 1–1.67. The ratio length of styli IX/ length of styli VIII in male is about 1.3–1.6. Coxite IX in male with fringe of setae along internal margin; internal process about 2.6–4 times longer than the external process and 1–1.3 (L/W) times as long as broad at its base. Penis with numerous apical setae. Parameres absent (Fig. 25). Genital region of female as in Fig. 26, coxite IX also with fringe of setae along internal margin, internal process about 0.5–1.5 times longer than wide at its base and 2.2–2.8 times longer than the external process. Ovipositor long with 34–41 divisions and its length measures 2.24–2.66 mm from the base of urosternite VIII; surpassing the apex of the internal processes of coxites IX by 4.4–4.8 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 316-321, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5570.2.4, http://zenodo.org/record/14735032