Invasion of synanthropic silverfish continues: first established populations of Ctenolepisma calvum (Ritter, 1910) revealed in the Czech Republic

Abstract

Synanthropic silverfish species have spread over Europe as invaders in recent years. This paper reports the first occurrence of synanthropic silverfish Ctenolepisma calvum in the Czech Republic. Established populations of the species were revealed at two localities in Prague. At both sites, C. calvum occurred inside the buildings with room temperatures of 23.3–28.3 °C and moderate humidity 32.6–55.8%. From this point of view, our observations indicate that the climate restrictions suggested for Lepisma saccharinum and Thermobia domestica may not be effective against C. calvum. Thus, its suitable management is challenging for the future. This study also summarizes the available data on C. calvum distribution from the literature, social platforms and invasive species databases, which pointed out that only little is known about C. calvum and the species seems to be either under-recorded or rapidly spreading throughout Europe. In light of this, further monitoring, as well as risk assessment of this silverfish species, is highly needed.