bristletail
Ancient wingless bug
Bristletail is any of several small, wingless insects with bristle-like appendages at the tail end.
The common silverfish found in damp household spaces is a bristletail.
These primitive insects have existed largely unchanged for hundreds of millions of years, making them among the oldest insect forms still living.
Nocturnal household insect pest
- firebratHeat-seeking primitive insect
- hexapodSix-legged arthropod
- arthropodJointed-limb invertebrate phylum
- invertebrateAnimal sans backbone
exoskeleton · antennae · mandibles · detritivore · chitin · molting · entomology · insecta
Very old indeed
- prehistoricBefore documented civilization
- primordialExisting from the start
- fossilPreserved ancient organism
- ancestralOf one's forebears
basal · wingless · progenitor · evolution · unchanged · living fossil · archaic
Dark hours between dusk and dawn
- darknessTotal absence of light
- crepuscularRelating to dusk
- secretiveInclined to conceal
- hidingStaying out of sight
crevices · leaf litter · damp · humidity · sheltered · cryptic · reclusive
silverfish
Nocturnal household insect pest
- firebratHeat-seeking primitive insect
- hexapodSix-legged arthropod
- arthropodJointed-limb invertebrate phylum
invertebrate · exoskeleton · antennae · mandibles · detritivore · chitin · molting · entomology · insecta · pest
ancient
Very old indeed
- prehistoricBefore documented civilization
- primordialExisting from the start
- fossilPreserved ancient organism
ancestral · basal · wingless · progenitor · evolution · unchanged · living fossil · archaic
nighttime
Dark hours between dusk and dawn
- darknessTotal absence of light
- crepuscularRelating to dusk
- secretiveInclined to conceal
hiding · crevices · leaf litter · damp · humidity · sheltered · cryptic · reclusive
filament
Very thin thread
- antennaeSensory appendages on insects
- scalesPlates or weighing devices
- compound eyesMulti-lensed visual organs
thorax · abdomen · legs · setae · caudal · appendages · sensory · tactile
leaping
Springing into air
quick · agile · propulsion · startle · darting