Egyptian firebrat
The Egyptian firebrat is a silverfish, a small wingless insect shaped like a little carrot. It was first found in Egypt. It has even been found living together with a kind of desert termite.
How fast is it?
Fun facts
It was described in 1840 by a French scientist, Hippolyte Lucas, from silverfish collected in Egypt.
The first specimens were lost, so scientists later picked a new one from Helwan in Egypt as the official example.
It has been found living with a desert termite called Psammotermes hybostoma.
Silverfish never grow wings. They are one of the oldest kinds of insects.
Most asked questions about Egyptian firebrat
?Is the Egyptian firebrat dangerous?
No. It is a small harmless insect that cannot bite or sting.
?Where does the Egyptian firebrat live?
In Africa and around the eastern Mediterranean Sea.
For bug experts
- Scientific name
- Thermobia aegyptiaca
- Named by
- Lucas, 1840
- Group
- Other insects
- Family
- Lepismatidae
- Classification
- Insecta > Zygentoma > Lepismatidae
- Lives on
- Africa, Asia
Where the facts come from
- Thermobia aegyptiaca (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
- Picture by (c) Alexis, some rights reserved (CC BY). CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons. The sticker of this bug is drawn from this picture.
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