A small, mostly nocturnal beetle; males with soft wing cases, females larva-like, often wingless; jaws hollow, used to inject digestive juices into prey; larvae found in soil and leaf litter; all stages luminous, but most pronounced in adults; luminous organs near tip of abdomen used to produce mating signals; also known as glowworms and lightning bugs. (Order: Coleoptera. Family: Lampyridae, c.2000 species.)
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Lampyris noctiluca |
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Fireflies (family Lampyridae), also called lightning bugs, are luminous beetles.
There are more than 2000 species of firefly, found in temperate and tropical environments around the world.
The most commonly known fireflies are nocturnal, though there are numerous species that are diurnal.
A few days after mating, which occurs in the spring, a female lays her fertilized eggs on or just below the surface of the ground.
Fireflies overwinter (some species for several years) during the larval stage.
The larvae of most species are specialized predators and feed on other larvae, terrestrial snails, and slugs.
Light production
Light production in fireflies is due to a chemical reaction that occurs in specialized light-emitting organs, usually on the lower abdomen.
The process of light production in fireflies is called lighting.
Female Photuris fireflies are known for mimicking the mating flashes of other fireflies for the sole purpose of predation. One such genus is Lucidota
All fireflies glow as larvae.
Fireflies and humans
The ancient Chinese sometimes captured fireflies in transparent or semi-transparent containers and used them as (short-term) lanterns.
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