The Grey Silverfish And Other Species Of Lepismatidae In Austrian Museums

Silverfish (Lepisma saccarinum) are described as a pest to museum and paper objects and mainly occur in damp and humid conditions. They can damage paper, starchy materials, wall paper, but in some cases also insect collections and textiles. The firebrat (Thermobia domesticum) is also described in the literature as a potential pest for museum paper objects, but needing higher temperatures. Since a few years reports form a new species, the grey silverfish (Ctenolepisma longicaudatum), increased in Europe (Netherlands, Norway, Germany) and therefore a systematic analysis of all Lepismatidae (Zygentoma) found on sticky blunder traps and pheromone traps for moths was made in different locations (museums, historic buildings and new storage
depositories) in Vienna, Austria in 2019. The animals were counted, pooled and the species identified. Five different Lepismatidae species were found, with Ctenolepisma longicaudatum being the most abundant and larges species and occurring mainly in new storage or museum buildings. Lepisma saccarinum was found mainly in historic buildings and in ground floors or basements with damper conditions. We also found the four-lined silverfish, Ctenolepisma lienatum, occuring in a few sites and Ctenolepisma calvum, a new introduced species of silverfish in Germany and Austria. The results are discussed with examples of
damage to museum objects and different IPM strategies applied: mass trapping, deep cleaning, quarantine of packaging materials, humidity control, application of diatomaceous earth and experiments with poison bait gels. These new pests cause new threats especially for archives, libraries, but also modern art collections.