What is "lepisma"

Lepisma \Le*pis"ma\ (l[-e]*p[i^]z"m[.a]), n. [NL., fr. Gr. le`pisma peel, fr. lepi`s -i`dos, a scale.] (Zo["o]l.) A genus of wingless thysanurous insects having an elongated flattened body, covered with shining scales and terminated by seven unequal bristles. A common species ( Lepisma saccharina) is found in houses, and often injures books and furniture; it feeds on starch and eats sized paper and starched clothes. Called also shiner, silverfish, silver witch, silver moth, and furniture bug.

Lepisma is a genus of primitive insects belonging to the family Lepismatidae. The most familiar member of the genus is the silverfish (L. saccharina), a commensal of humans worldwide.