It was described by the German entomologist Karl Leopold Escherich in 1905 based on specimens collected in South Africa,[1] but is found worldwide as synanthrope in human housings.

In recent years, gray silverfish have increasingly become an issue in indoor environments in Europe, especially in newly built houses with a stable climate beneficial for the growth and reproduction of this species.

As a food generalist with the ability to digest the cellulose contained in paper and cellulose-based textiles like rayon, Ctenolepisma longicaudatum is considered a pest species in cultural heritage institutions like libraries and archives.

Most authors have historically treated the nomenclatural gender of Ctenolepisma as feminine, but in 2018 the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature issued a formal ruling (ICZN Opinion 2427) stating the gender of Lepisma (and all genera with that ending) is neuter, following ICZN Article 30, which resulted in changes to the spelling of several well-known species, including Ctenolepisma longicaudatum (formerly longicaudata).

Freshly laid eggs are smooth and cream-coloured; after three days the chorion turns yellow and exhibits shallow reticulate markings.

The hatched first instar nymphs have a pale cream body colour and lack hairs and scales, the appendages are short and soft, and the anus seems to be closed.

The genitalia first appear in the 8th nymphal instar, developing from two small lobes on the intersegmental membrane at the base of the cleft in the ninth sternum.

The genitalia lobes remain short in males until the shape of the penis can be distinguished in the 11th nymphal instar, when the internal reproductive organs will also have developed, including seven large testicles.

The two short vasa deferentia, which fuse immediately anterior to the penis, are thin-walled and slightly dilated at their distal ends; they lengthen in the next instar and form two loops between the two cercal nerves.

[3] The mid-intestinal cells of early instars are already as differentiated as in mature stages, and the gizzard is of the same form, although with fewer serrations and hairs on the teeth.

[3] Ctenolepisma longicaudatum is a synanthrope in human housings, and its natural food sources are unknown so that information on the biology of this species comes from indoor observations and rearings.

They also eat cast skins from previous moults, as they prove rich in nutrients, containing 1% of the fat and 6% of the nitrogen stored in the body.

[3][7] The related firebrat, Thermobia domestica, can be fed whole wheat or plain flour; thoroughly dried and pulverised meat can be used as a strong attractant.

Two species of gregarine parasites are recorded from the intestinal tract of the gray silverfish: Garnhamia aciculata and Lepismatophila ctenolepismae.

[14] The related Ctenolepisma lineatum contains on average 15 specimens of parasitic Apicomplexa per animal in their intestinal tract, especially the crop.

In a comparative screening for cellulolytic activity, the gray silverfish was found to have the highest relative cellulase activity, by far exceeding that of other cellulose-digesting insects like Conocephalus strictus (Orthoptera), the termite Reticulitermes flavipes (Blattodea: Rhinotermitidae), Cryptocercus roaches (Blattodea: Cryptocercidae) and Scolytinae bark beetles (Coleoptera).

[4] The highest activity of plant cell wall degrading enzymes is found in the head and especially in the foregut of the gray silverfish.

[3] As such, the gray silverfish is a threat to cultural heritage institutions storing books, sheet music, paintings and similar objects.

[38] In recent years, gray silverfish have been reported from a number of European countries (see section Distribution), where they have been recorded as a nuisance pest in houses, kindergartens and schools,[25][39] but also as damaging cellulose-based materials in a warehouse[22] and in cultural heritage institutions like museums, libraries and archives.

[40] The majority of insurance cases involving the gray silverfish apply to new houses built after the year 2000, which, due to the improved wall insulation, assumingly provide more favourable living conditions for this species.

[30] Due to their relatively slow development and longevity and their ability to survive up to ten months without food, control measurements against the gray silverfish have to be applied over an extended period of time.

Aak et al. (2020) tested different commercially available paste-based products, containing imidacloprid, clothianidin, fipronil or indoxacarb as active ingredient, regarding their effect in pest management of gray silverfish.

Indoxacarb was therefore evaluated as the most potent poison against gray silverfish, and even six-month old bait was still able to cause a high mortality rate.

[30] A study on the efficacy of various poisonous baits (containing boric acid, hydramethylnon, indoxacarb, abamectin, chlorfenapyr, dinotefuran, fipronil, metaflumizone, and novaluron) against the related Lepismatidae species Thermobia domestica and Lepisma saccharinum has been conducted by Sims & Appel (2012).

[44] Since the premises inhabited by gray silverfish are usually co-inhabited by humans, the application of pesticides in the form of sprays should be avoided wherever possible, and more targeted approaches like bait poisoning should be considered.

[3] If the aim is to gain time to prepare control measures, a decrease in ambient temperature in the infested premises to 16 °C or lower is advisable to slow down population growth.