(Describer) Titles: The Bug Chicks, and Solpugid Productions, in association with Texas A and M University.
Insects and Human Society.
(Describer) Wearing protective suits, Kristie and Jessica turn their heads in unison.
We are on the hunt
for one of the most primitive
insects on the planet
in our very own basement.
They outdate
the Tyrannosaurus rex
by 250 million years,
but now they eat
the glue on your carpets,
the pages of your books,
and the fibers
of your favorite A&M sweatshirt.
They are silverfish.
They like damp basements
and dark places,
and they are most active
at night.
(Describer) Kristie points a flashlight in her face.
Aah!
[Morgantj plays
"Cafe Connection"]
(Describer) Different insects are shown: including a small green one with wings, hundreds of tiny ones swarming a worm, one with transparent wings climbing a tree, a thin green one looking around, two with translucent white wings, and one crawling on a green leaf before flying off.
Titles: The Insect Orders.
♪
(Describer) Order Thysanura .
Taxonomy and Morphology.
The word "Thysanura"
comes from the Greek "thysan,"
meaning fringe,
and "ura," meaning tail.
This refers
to the three caudal filaments
at the end of the abdomen.
They're commonly known
as silverfish
because many species have
silver scales
and move like
slippery little fish.
(Describer) Title: Biodiversity and Distribution.
There are about 400 species
ranging all over the world.
A lot of those species live
in leaf litter and soil
on the forest floor,
but some have adapted
to living with us.
These guys are hard to find
when you're looking for them
but seem to show up randomly
in our bathtubs,
sinks, and cupboards.
They're one of the only animals
capable of producing cellulase.
This means they have
no trouble eating
things made of cellulose,
like fibers, carpets,
glue and paper.
(Describer) Outside...
So the next time you didn't
write that essay for class,
don't blame it on the dog.
Dogs don't eat paper.
That's dumb.
Blame it on the silverfish.
And drop the order name
Thysanura in there,
and you might even get
extra credit.
(Describer) Title: Metamorphosis.
Thysanurans go through
a type of simple metamorphosis
called ametabolous,
meaning no change.
They molt many times
and just get a bit larger
throughout their life span.
These animals are always,
and have always been, wingless.
(Describer) Title: Human Impact.
In some cases,
people will have
lots of silverfish
in their house
and make a call
to a qualified pest specialist
to deal with it.
For the most part though,
these things live around us
and with us,
and we don't take much notice.
(Describer) One crawls away.
In the basement...
Thysanurans can be hard to find
if you're looking for them.
There's no baits or traps
really.
You can use your Berlese funnel,
but we haven't had much success.
So I would suggest
going to a place
with a lot of old books
and old carpet.
Evans Library, anyone?
Dude, can we get out of here?
This basement
is totally creeping me out.
Yes, I would really like to.
I think something crawled
into my suit.
(Describer) Jessica turns to Kristie, who's smiling uncomfortably.
(Describer) Titles:
Written and Produced by Kristie Reddick, Jessica Honaker
Videographers: Kristie Reddick, Jessica Honaker
All photos, video and illustrations copyright Solpugid Productions and The Bug Chicks unless otherwise attributed.
Accessibility provided by the US Department of Education.
♪
