Sceletolepisma is a genus of primitive insects (order Zygentoma = Thysanura s.s.) closely related to the silverfish and firebrat but less reliant on human habitation, some species being found both indoors and outdoors and some found exclusively outdoors. The genus is distributed nearly worldwide in warm regions.

Sceletolepisma
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Zygentoma
Family: Lepismatidae
Genus: Sceletolepisma
Wygodzinsky, 1955
Species

~40; see text

Synonyms
  • Apolepisma Kaplan, 1993
  • Irishisma Kaplan, 1993
  • Silvestrellisma Kaplan, 1993
  • Wygodzinskisma Kaplan, 1993

Nomenclature

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Many members of the genus Sceletolepisma have been previously included in other genera, such as Ctenolepisma. Most authors have historically treated the nomenclatural gender of Sceletolepisma as feminine, but in 2018 the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature issued a formal ruling (ICZN Opinion 2427) stating the gender of Lepisma (and all genera with that ending) is neuter, following ICZN Article 30, which resulted in changes to the spelling of several species.[1]

Diversity

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There are roughly 40 extant species presently recognized as valid in the genus:[2][3]

References

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  1. ^ ICZN (2018) Opinion 2427 (Case 3704) – Lepisma Linnaeus, 1758 (Insecta, Zygentoma, Lepismatidae): Direction 71 (1957) reversed. The Bulletin of Zoological Nomenclature, 75(1):290-294
  2. ^ Ctenolepisma - IRMNG
  3. ^ BioLib.cz