Are these the world’s most colourful silverfish? Possible mutillid mimics from Western Australia (Zygentoma: Lepismatidae)

WA Museum Records and Supplements | Updated 2 years ago

ABSTRACT – Citizen scientists in Western Australia photographed silverfish with very striking colour patterns, resembling velvet ants. When collected and placed into alcohol these colour patterns disappear, possibly accounting for the previous lack of observations of such colours in Zygentoma. The specimens were found to belong to the genus Hemitelsella Smith. Two new species are described, H. hortorum sp. nov. and H. mutilloides sp. nov., and molecular data (28S and COI) presented for these as well as H. transpectinata (Smith) from Barrow Island and H. clarksonorum Smith from Tasmania.