#3961 · 🦗 bugs, crickets & other insects
Long-tailed Silverfish
🇳🇱 Papiervisje ·Ctenolepisma longicaudatum
📍 Amsterdam-Noord, Amsterdam, Netherlands
📍 Wageningen, Nederland
📍 Schouwen-Duiveland, Scharendijke, Zeeland, NL
📍 9717 BB Groningen, Netherlands
📍 Hengelo
📍 Netherlands
📍 9351 JX Leek, Netherlands
📍 Bilderdijkkade, Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, NL
10 photos from iNaturalist (Creative Commons) · credits & licences
- 1. © Kaj Hoffman · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
- 2. © Juanvi · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 3. Amsterdam-Noord, Amsterdam, Netherlands:© Stan van Remmerden · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 4. Wageningen, Nederland:© André Nagelhout · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 5. Schouwen-Duiveland, Scharendijke, Zeeland, NL:© A. Johann · CC BY 4.0
- 6. 9717 BB Groningen, Netherlands:© Mick Elliot · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 7. Hengelo:© expert1969 · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 8. Netherlands:© pgpl · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 9. 9351 JX Leek, Netherlands:© Joren van Schie · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 10. Bilderdijkkade, Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, NL:© onnohennis · CC BY-NC 4.0
what is it?
Ctenolepisma longicaudatum , generally known as the gray silverfish , long-tailed silverfish or paper silverfish , is a species of Zygentoma in the family Lepismatidae. It was described by the German entomologist Karl Leopold Escherich in 1905 based on specimens collected in South Africa, but is found worldwide as synanthrope in human housings.
base stats
Bars compare against all animals on log scales: up to 300,000 Dutch and 600,000 worldwide sightings (the most-seen species), 150 t (blue whale), 30 m and 400 years (Greenland shark).
fun facts
- Spotted 400 times in the Netherlands on iNaturalist: the #20 most seen of the bugs, crickets & other insects in NL.
- 14,641 observations worldwide on iNaturalist.
fact sheet
- English
- Long-tailed Silverfish
- Nederlands
- Papiervisje
- scientific name
- Ctenolepisma longicaudatum
- class
- Insecta
- order
- Zygentoma
- family
- Lepismatidae
- sightings in NL
- 400
- sightings in Europe
- 3,406
- sightings worldwide
- 14,641
- GBIF records in NL
- 7,298
- weight
- —
- length
- —
- lifespan
- —
relatives· Lepismatidae
Sources: iNaturalist taxon 546132, Wikidata Q141486955, GBIF 6098843, Wikipedia (EN), Wikipedia (NL). Intro text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-24.