Four-Lined Silverfish

Four-Lined Silverfish

Ctenolepisma lineata

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at San Diego

In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%

13 Verified sightings at San Diego
5 In 1 park From 2019 to 2026
June Best month
🌙 Nocturnal When it's spotted

About the Four-Lined Silverfish

Ctenolepisma lineatum, the four-lined silverfish, is a species of silverfish of the order Zygentoma. It is rather stouter and less shiny with all the appendages (antennae and 3 "tails") being noticeably longer. The abdomen is often marked with dark brown lines.

This species is native to southern Europe but is now found throughout most of the world, aside from polar and cooler temperate regions (e.g. the British Isles), as an accidental introduction. It is found both indoors and outdoors and can be a nuisance pest.

Recent studies on this species in Europe suggest that, due to speciation, there is enough geographical variation to justify splitting into several species, with one form already having been given specific status as Ctenolepisma almeriense from south-eastern Spain. Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Acadia National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%

More parks will be added in future updates.

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Kharkiv 🇺🇦 Ukraine
~10%
2 Kyiv 🇺🇦 Ukraine
~10%
3 Turin 🇮🇹 Italy
~10%
4 Santiago 🇨🇱 Chile
~10%
5 Vienna 🇦🇹 Austria
~10%
6 Budapest 🇭🇺 Hungary
~10%
7 Belgrade 🇷🇸 Serbia
~10%
8 Lyon 🇫🇷 France
~10%
9 Athens 🇬🇷 Greece
~10%
10 Bucharest 🇷🇴 Romania
~10%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Four-Lined Silverfish in San Diego?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Four-Lined Silverfish sighting in San Diego on a given day, based on 13 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 393rd most-seen of the 693 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Four-Lined Silverfish in San Diego?

Any time of year

In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Four-Lined Silverfish in San Diego on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.

What time of day is best to see a Four-Lined Silverfish?

Between 8 and 11 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Four-Lined Silverfish sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is mostly seen at night.

Is San Diego the best place to see a Four-Lined Silverfish?

29th of 29

Of the 29 cities where we can rate Four-Lined Silverfish sightings, San Diego ranks 29th at under 5%. The best odds are in Kharkiv (Ukraine, about 10%), Kyiv (Ukraine, about 10%) and Turin (Italy, about 10%).

Where does the Four-Lined Silverfish sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Four-Lined Silverfish is recorded against all the insects logged in San Diego (13 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

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