bristletail

Primitive wingless insect of the order Thysanura. Up to 2 cm/0.8 in long, bristletails have a body tapering from front to back, two long antennae, and three ‘tails’ at the rear end. They include the silverfish Lepisma saccharina and the firebrat Thermobia domestica. Two-tailed bristletails constitute another insect order, the Diplura. They live under stones and fallen branches, feeding on decaying material.