Firebrat
{{Short description|Insect similar to a silverfish}}
{{more footnotes|date=May 2013}}
{{Speciesbox
| name = Firebrat
| image = Firebrat (Thermobia domestica).jpg
| genus = Thermobia
| species = domestica
| authority = (Packard, 1873)
| synonyms = * Lepisma domestica {{small|Packard, 1873}}
- Lepismodes inquilinus {{small|Newman, 1863}}
- Lepisma furnorum {{small|Rovelli, 1884}}
}}
The firebrat (Thermobia domestica) is a small insect (typically 1–1.5 cm) in the order Zygentoma.{{cite book|author1=P. J. Gullan|author2=P. S. Cranston|title=The Insects: An Outline of Entomology|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=S7yGZasJ7nEC&pg=PA202|date=13 July 2010|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn=978-1-4443-1767-1|pages=202–}}
Habitat
Firebrats prefer relatively warm temperatures (36–39 °C) and require some humidity.{{sfn |Adam |1933}} They are commonly found indoors near heat sources such as furnaces and boilers. They feed on a wide variety of carbohydrates and starches that are also protein sources such as dog food, flour and book bindings. They are distributed throughout most parts of the world and are normally found outdoors under rocks, plant litter, and in similar environments, but are also often found indoors where they are considered pests. They do not cause major damage, but they can contaminate food, damage paper goods, and stain clothing. Otherwise they are mostly harmless.
Behavior
Firebrats utilize pheromones to lead other firebrats to attract one another and congregate. To maintain a group, firebrats must remain in contact with one another.{{cite journal|last1=Tremblay|first1=M.N.|last2=Gries|first2=G|title=Pheromone-based aggregation behaviour of the firebrat, Thermobia domestica (Packard) (Thysanura: Lepismatidae)|journal=Chemoecology|date=2003|volume=13|pages=21–26|doi=10.1007/s000490300002}}
Breeding
At 1.5 to 4.5 months of age the female firebrat begins laying eggs if the temperature is right (32–41 °C or 90–106 °F). It may lay up to 6000 eggs in a lifetime of about 3–5 years. After incubation (12–13 days), the nymphs hatch. They may reach maturity in as little as 2–4 months, resulting in several generations each year.
Meiosis
The sequential changes occurring during the prophase I stage of meiosis in T. domestica ovaries have been described in detail.{{cite journal|last1=Tworzydlo|first1=W.|last2=Marek|first2=M.|last3=Kisiel|first3=E.|last4=Bilinski|first4=S.M.|title=Meiosis, Balbiani body and early asymmetry of Thermobia oocyte|journal=Protoplasma|date=2017|volume=254|issue=2|pages=649-655|doi=10.1007/s00709-016-0978-7|pmid=27180195|pmc=5309285}}
References
{{Reflist}}
- {{cite web|title=Thermobia domestica - The Firebrat |url=http://bioweb.uwlax.edu/bio210/s2012/kaun_jaso/index.htm|website=BioWeb|publisher=University of Wisconsin System}}
- {{cite journal|last1=Adam|first1=J. A.|title=Biological Notes Upon the Firebrat, Thermobia domestica Packard|journal=Journal of the New York Entomological Society|date=1933|volume=41|pages=557–562|url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/50716433}}
- {{cite book|last1=Ebeling|first1=Walter|title=Urban Entomology|date=1975|publisher=University of California|url=http://www.entomology.ucr.edu/ebeling/ebeling8.html#silverfish}}
- {{cite journal|last1=Rust|first1=M. K.|last2=Millard|first2=M. R.|title=Silverfish and Firebrats|journal=Pest Notes|date=2009|url=https://www.sccgov.org/sites/vector/pests/Documents/Household%20Pests/silverfish%20firerat%20ipm%20dl%202015.pdf|publisher=Integrated Pest Management Program, University of California, Davis}}
- {{cite journal|last1=Wygodzinsky|first1=Pedro|title=A Review of the Silverfish (Lepismatidae, Thysanura) of the United States and the Caribbean Area|journal=American Museum Novitates|date=1972|issue= 2481|url=http://digitallibrary.amnh.org/bitstream/handle/2246/2689//v2/dspace/ingest/pdfSource/nov/N2481.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y|publisher=American Museum of Natural History}}
External links
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20160413000702/https://www.bookstore.ksre.ksu.edu/pubs/EP123.pdf Silverfish and Firebrats, Kansas State University (via archive.org)]
{{Taxonbar|from=Q1069416}}
{{Authority control}}