Ovenfish
| Ovenfish | ||||||||||||
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Ovenfish ( Thermobia domestica ) |
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| Thermobia domestica | ||||||||||||
| ( Packard , 1873) |
The furnace fish ( Thermobia domestica ) is a fish from the Lepismatidae family .
features
The furnacefish reaches a body length of 9 to 11 millimeters, with the females being slightly larger than the males. The body is, as is typical for small fish, elongated spindle-shaped with a broad thorax and a broadly attached, elongated abdomen that is narrowed towards the rear. The tenth (last) abdomen segment is rounded, triangular and short. The rear end of the abdomen has three long thread-like appendages divided into numerous segments.
The basic color of the body of the furnacefish is yellowish white. The body appendages ( palps , tarsi , antennae , styli and tail filaments) can be dark to black in color, with the pigment not sitting in the cuticle, but beneath it and shining through. On the upper side of the body, the cuticle is densely covered by wide, flat scales that are black or yellowish-white in color and form a complex scale pattern. On the top there are numerous longer bristles (setae) of golden yellow color. When viewed under a microscope, these bristles are found to be pinnate; H. wear a hem of numerous fine hairs. The bristles are predominantly arranged in short transverse rows and thus form bristle combs, the number and position of which are of diagnostic value. The genus Thermobia has two to seven bristle combs on each side of the tergites of the abdomen, while the related genus Ctenolepisma has three on both sides. In the male genital apparatus there are no parameters . The female wears a slim ovipositor at the bottom of the abdomen , the tip of which is not sclerotized .
Thermobia domestica is most easily distinguishable from the related Thermobia aegyptiaca (Lucas, 1840), which is missing in Central Europe , on the basis of the maxillary palps . In Thermobia domestica, these are (apparently) six-segment, in that the last segment is split into two sub-segments, in Thermobia aegyptiaca five-segment. In addition, Thermobia aegyptiaca only has one bristle comb on each side of the tergite of the eighth abdominal segment, whereas there are two in the ovenfish.
In Central Europe it is relatively easy to distinguish the furnacefish from the other two ( synanthropic ) fish species living in human dwellings on the basis of their coloring and drawing. The furnacefish has a high-contrast scale drawing made up of black and yellowish scales that form spots and indistinct transverse bands. In the combfish Ctenolepisma lineata , this markings, at least on the abdomen, usually develop clear longitudinal bands. The silverfish Lepisma saccharina has a monochrome silver -gray scales (also the Ctenolepisma longicaudata , which was recently detected in the Netherlands and is also expected in Germany, has gray scales). In cases of doubt, ovenfish and combfish can be distinguished by the number of bristle combs on the second to seventh abdomen segments.
distribution
The home of the ovenfish is the Middle East, Central Asia and Egypt to the east. Outdoor populations also occur in arid , warm habitats elsewhere today. In the case of animals living in the wild in the southwest of the USA, it is unclear whether they are introduced animals or a disjoint , natural sub-area. This seems possible because some other zygentoma species show similar distribution patterns.
Today the species has been introduced almost worldwide by humans, but occurs predominantly only synanthropically , even in regions with a warmer climate . Today finds are from all continents (with the exception of Antarctica). In Central Europe, free-range occurrences are unknown and, given the high temperature demands of the species, not to be expected.
Way of life
Kilnfish avoid light and are usually nocturnal. During the day the animals hide in cracks and crevices. They are sociable and form dense aggregations. The animals find each other with the help of a pheromone . When foraging for food at night, the animals are not picky, they take on a variety of organic substances of various compositions as food ( omnivorous ). You can digest cellulose fibers , whereby the digestion takes place not with the help of symbiotic microorganisms, but with the body's own cellulase ; this was checked by administering antibiotics. However, symbiotic bacteria species living in the intestine have also been detected in the species, which support the digestion of difficult substrates such as cellulose. In the long run, however, nutrition solely through paper is insufficient and associated with high mortality.
Kilnfish prefer high ambient temperatures, which is also what the name refers to. The preferred temperatures are between 32 and 37 ° C (for comparison: with silverfish 22 to 32 ° C), below 25 ° C eggs are never laid. In Central Europe, the animals are therefore absent in normal homes, they are almost exclusively found in bakeries and large kitchens. The animals' need for moisture is low; they can live with humidity down to 43% relative humidity . With ambient air up to 45% relative humidity, they can cover their moisture requirements by absorbing water vapor from the air. The organ of water absorption is the rectum. When the ambient air is dry, the animals can close their stigmas . As a great surprise, it was found that furnacefish do not depend exclusively on transport in the trachea for their breathing, but that their hemolymph contains the oxygen-binding, copper-containing blood pigment hemocyanin . A function in breathing has not been proven with absolute certainty, but it is highly probable. The possession of hemocyanin is considered a plesiomorphic characteristic that has been lost to the “higher” insects.
Life cycle
As is typical for small fish, fertilization in the oven fish takes place externally, in that the male releases a spermatophore that is ingested by the female. This is preceded by a complicated pairing prelude, whereby the contact of the sexes is advantageous for living together in aggregations. The male demarcates a small area with spun threads that attract females. When a female approaches, it guides it towards the spermatophore by moving its antennae. The female lays the fertilized eggs, which are about 0.8 to 1.29 millimeters long and oval in shape, individually in crevices and cracks in the floor all year round. A female can lay about 50 eggs a year. The nymphs hatch after 12 to 18 days. They resemble adults completely in body shape and way of life, so that it is not easy to recognize sexually mature animals. It takes 7 to 16 weeks and numerous moults to reach sexual maturity. Kilnfish continue to shed their skin regularly even after they have reached sexual maturity, so they can heal injuries such as the loss of limbs. The lifespan of the adults is between one and seven years.
Economic importance
Kilnfish are considered material and household pests . However, the damage they cause is usually minor; in many cases, the disgust factor or hygienic problems caused by contamination are more decisive. Particularly in countries with warmer climates, however, isolated cases of serious damage to paper and textiles, for example in museum collections, have become known. The animals can eat glued paper and thus gradually destroy it completely or contaminate it with faeces . The animals do not pose any direct health risks to humans, if one disregards the possibility of an allergic reaction (however, it has been directly proven only in the silverfish).
Taxonomy
The genus Thermobia comprises four species, two of which are restricted to southern Africa. Another species, Thermobia "infelix" Silvestri, was never found again after its first description, but according to its characteristics, the animals probably belong to a different genus. The other two species have been introduced almost worldwide by humans.
The furnace fish was first described by Edward Newman in 1863 as Lepismodes inquilinus ; this name would therefore actually have priority over the description of Lepisma domestica by Alpheus Spring Packard in 1873. But since Newman's name was later forgotten and was not used for many decades and the name of the species is widespread due to its economic importance and numerous scientific publications , Newman's name should be suppressed as a nomen oblitum (forgotten name).
swell
- John Irish (1988): Revision of Thermobia Bergroth (Thysanura: Lepismatidae). Cimbebasia 10: 15-30.
- Nathan Woodbury: Pheromone-based arrestment behavior of three species of Thysanura (Lepismatidae). Thesis, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, Canada.
Individual evidence
- ^ A b c d John Irish (1988): Revision of Thermobia Bergroth (Thysanura: Lepismatidae). Cimbebasia 10: 15-30.
- ^ A b Pedro Wygodzinsky (1972): A Review of the Silverfish (Lepismatidae, Thysanura) of the United States and the Caribbean Area. American Museum Novitates Number 2481: 1-26.
- ↑ Badda M. Beijne Nierop & Tom Hakbijl (2002): Ctenolepisma longicaudatum heeft ongemmerk bebouwd Nederland veroverd. Entomological Reports 62 (2): 34-42.
- ↑ Alfred Palissa: Zygentoma - little fish. In: Erwin Stresemann (founder), Bernhard Klausnitzer: Stresemann - Exkursionsfauna von Deutschland, Volume 2: Invertebrates: Insects. Spektrum Akademischer Verlag, 11th edition 2011. ISBN 3827424518
- ↑ Dietmar Zinkler & Michael Götze (1987): Cellulose digestion by the firebrat Thermobia domestica. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology, Part B: Comparative Biochemistry, Volume 88, Issue 2: 661-666.
- ↑ David S. Treves & Michael M. Martin (1994): Cellulose digestion in primitive hexapods: effect of ingested antibiotics on gut microbial populations and gut cellulase levels in the firebrat, Thermobia domestica (Zygentoma, Lepismatidae). Journal of chemical ecology vol.20 no.8: 2003-2020.
- ↑ Nathan Woodbury & Gerhard Gries (2013): How Firebrats (Thysanura: Lepismatidae) Detect and Nutritionally Benefit from Their Microbial Symbionts Enterobacter cloacae and Mycotypha microspora. Environmental Entomology 42 (5): 860-967. doi : 10.1603 / EN13104
- ↑ Zachary Curran DeVries: Respiratory Physiology of Urban Insects. Thesis, Auburn University, Australia, 2013.
- ^ J. Noble-Nesbitt (1989): Spiracular closing mechanisms in the firebrat, Thermobia domestica (Packard) (Thysanura). Tissue and Cell Volume 21, Issue 1: 93-99.
- ↑ Christian Pick, Silke Hagner-Holler, Thorsten Burmester (2008): Molecular characterization of hemocyanin and hexamerin from the firebrat Thermobia domestica (Zygentoma). Insect Biochemistry and Molecular Biology 38: 977-983. doi : 10.1016 / j.ibmb.2008.08.001
- ↑ AM Witteman, S. van den Oudenrijn, J. van Leeuwen, J. Akkerdaas, JS van der Zee, RC Aalberse (1995): IgE antibodies reactive with silverfish, cockroach and chironomid are frequently found in mite-positive allergic patients. International Archives of Allergy and Immunology 108 (2): 165-169. PMID 7549504
Web links
- Thermobia domestica in Fauna Europaea