The firefly insect is a large family of beetles that has the amazing ability to emit light.
Despite the fact that fireflies do not bring practically any benefit to humans, the attitude towards these unusual insects has always been positive.
Watching the simultaneous flickering of many lights in the night forest, you can be transported for a while to a fairy tale of fireflies.
Habitat
Firefly beetle lives in the territory North America, Europe and Asia. It can be found in tropical and deciduous forests, meadows, clearings and swamps.
Appearance
Externally, the firefly insect looks very modest, even inconspicuous. The body is elongated and narrow, the head is very small, and the antennae are short. The size of the firefly insect is small - on average from 1 to 2 centimeters. The body color is brown, dark gray or black.
Many species of beetles have distinct differences between male and female. Male insect fireflies resemble cockroaches in appearance and can fly, but do not glow.
The female looks very similar to a larva or worm; she has no wings, so she leads a sedentary lifestyle. But the female knows how to glow, which attracts representatives of the opposite sex.
Why does it glow
The luminous svelorgan of the firefly insect is located in the rear part of the abdomen. It is a collection of light cells - photocytes, through which multiple tracheas and nerves pass.
Each such cell contains the substance luciferin. During breathing, oxygen enters the luminous organ through the trachea, under the influence of which luciferin is oxidized, releasing energy in the form of light.
Due to the fact that nerve endings pass through the light cells, the firefly insect can independently regulate the intensity and mode of the glow. This may be a continuous glow, blinking, pulsating or flashing. Thus, the glow-in-the-dark bugs resemble a New Year's garland.
Lifestyle
Fireflies are not collective insects, however, they often form large clusters. During the day, fireflies rest, sitting on the ground or on plant stems, and at night they begin an active life.
Different types of fireflies differ in their feeding habits. Harmless herbivorous insects, fireflies feed on pollen and nectar.
Predatory individuals attack spiders, centipedes and snails. There are even species that are at the stage adult do not eat at all, moreover, they have no mouth.
Lifespan
The female beetle lays eggs on a bed of leaves. After some time, black and yellow larvae emerge from the eggs. They have an excellent appetite; in addition, the firefly insect glows if disturbed.
Beetle larvae overwinter in the bark of trees. In the spring they come out of hiding, feed heavily, and then pupate. After 2 - 3 weeks, adult fireflies emerge from the cocoon.
- The brightest firefly beetle lives in the American tropics.
- It reaches 4–5 centimeters in length, and not only its abdomen glows, but also its chest.
- In terms of the brightness of the light emitted, this bug is 150 times greater than its European relative, the common firefly.
- Fireflies were used by residents of tropical villages as lamps. They were placed in small cages and used such primitive lanterns to illuminate their homes.
- Every year at the beginning of summer, the Firefly Festival is held in Japan. At dusk, spectators gather in the garden near the temple and watch the fabulously beautiful flight of many luminous bugs.
- The most common species in Europe is the common firefly, which is popularly called firefly. It received this name because of the belief that the firefly insect begins to glow on the night of Ivan Kupala.
Who has observed on fine summer evenings at the first appearance of twilight an amazing and unusual glow in the grass? Everything around takes on a fabulous image. Some unusually mysterious radiation comes from these luminous points.
Constantly haunted by a premonition of something fabulously good. What is this miracle of nature? This is something other than fireflies, about which many children's cartoons and fairy tales have been filmed.
Every person knows about this amazing insect since early childhood. Firefly in the garden intrigues and fascinates, beckons and attracts with its unusual abilities.
To the question why do fireflies flicker there is still no clear answer. Most often, researchers tend to favor one version. Allegedly, such a fabulous and unusual light is emitted by the female firefly insect, who thus tries to attract the attention of the opposite sex.
Such a connection of love between the sexes of fireflies and their mysterious glow were noticed in ancient times, which is why ancestors have long associated their special glow with the holiday of Ivan Kupala.
But really, it is in the first days of July that this is observed most often. Fireflies used to be called fireflies. They belong to the order of lampyrid beetles. Not everywhere you can see such beauty.
But those people who have seen it at least once in their lives say with delight that it is an unforgettable and impressive sight. Photos of fireflies It doesn’t convey all their charm so elegantly, but you can also look at it for a long time with bated breath. It is not only beautiful, but also romantic, impressive, bewitching, alluring.
Features and habitat
Today, there are about 2000 species of fireflies in nature. Their inconspicuous appearance during the day is in no way associated with the beauty that radiates from fireflies at night.
Each such cell has its own fuel substance called luciferin. All this complex system The firefly works using the insect's breath. When it is inhaled, air moves through the trachea into the organ of luminescence.
There, oxidation of luciferin occurs, which releases energy and produces light. Insect phytocides are designed so thoughtfully and subtly that they do not even consume energy. Although they don’t have to worry about this because this system works with enviable labor intensity and impact.
The CCD of these insects is equal to 98%. This means that only 2% can be wasted. For comparison technical inventions people have CCD from 60 to 90%.
Victors over darkness. This is not their most recent and important achievement. They can control their “flashlights” without much difficulty. Only some of them are not given the ability to regulate the light supply.
Everyone else knows how to change the degree of glow, either lighting or extinguishing their “light bulbs.” This is not just a game of glare for insects. With the help of such actions they distinguish their own from strangers. Fireflies living in Malaysia are especially perfect in this regard.
Their ignition and dulling of the glow occurs synchronously. In the jungle at night, such synchronicity is misleading. It seems that someone hung festive garland.
It should be noted that such an amazing ability to shine in the night is not inherent in all fireflies. There are also those among them who prefer to lead a daytime lifestyle. They do not glow at all, or their faint glow is noticeable in dense forest wilds and caves.
A wide distribution of fireflies is observed in the northern hemisphere of the planet. The territory of North America and Eurasia is their favorite habitat. They are comfortable in deciduous forests, meadows and swamps.
Character and lifestyle
It's not really collective insect still most often gathers in mass gatherings. During the daytime, they are observed to sit passively on the grass. The arrival of dusk inspires fireflies to move and fly.
They fly smoothly, measuredly and quickly at the same time. Firefly larvae cannot be called sedentary. They prefer to lead a wandering lifestyle. They are comfortable not only on land, but also in water.
Fireflies love warmth. IN winter time years, insects hide under the bark of a tree. And with the arrival of spring and after good nutrition they pupate. It is interesting that some females, in addition to all the above advantages, also have cunning.
They know with what light something can shine certain type. They also begin to glow. Naturally, the male of that species notices the familiar glow and approaches to mate.
But the male stranger who notices the trick is no longer given the opportunity to hide. The female devours it, receiving a sufficient amount useful substances for their life and for the development of larvae. Fireflies have not yet been fully studied. There are still many scientific discoveries ahead on this matter.
Nutrition
These insects can easily be classified as predators. Fireflies feed a wide variety of animal foods. They love ants, spiders, the larvae of their fellows, and rotten plants.
Not all fireflies are predators. Among them there are also species that prefer pollen and nectar of plants. Species of fireflies in the adult phase, for example, do not eat anything at all; they have no mouth at all. Those fireflies that deceitfully lure representatives of other species to themselves and immediately eat them have chosen the most the hard way food production.
Reproduction and lifespan
Fireflies flickering– this is one of their main achievements. They not only lure potential food in this way, but also attract the opposite sex. This is most observed at the beginning of the summer. Fireflies light their sparks of love and look for their partner among a huge variety of insects.
Mating does not take long to happen. After this, the female has the task of laying eggs in the ground. After some time, larvae emerge from the eggs. They are more like worms and are very voracious. The ability to glow is inherent in literally larvae of all species. And they are all essentially predators.
During its maturation, the larva prefers to hide among stones, in the soil and between the bark. It takes a lot of time for the larvae to develop. Some need to overwinter, while other species remain in the larval stage for several years.
Then the larva transforms into a pupa, which after 1-2.5 weeks becomes a real firefly. Firefly in the forest does not live long. The average lifespan of these is about 90 – 120 days.
Bioluminescence is one of the the most beautiful phenomena nature! We present a selection of creatures that can glow in the dark.
1. Plankton
Breathtaking natural phenomenon happening at many points globe The Maldives receives the greatest tourist attention. Bioluminescent phytoplankton, picked up by the oncoming waves, illuminates the ocean waters with a bright blue glow. The tide regularly brings a scattering of lights to the shore, turning it into a landscape from a fairy tale.
2. Diplopods (subspecies of millipedes)
Eight out of twenty thousand species of centipedes have the ability to glow at night. A greenish-blue glow emanates from even the most ordinary brown specimens. This feature is in this case does not have the function of attracting prey, because millipedes are herbivores. The glow serves as a signal of toxicity to scare off predators, because the pores of these animals can secrete cyanide.
3. Cave fireflies
The larvae of some species of mosquitoes and midges have the ability to glow, for which they were classified as fireflies. Particularly interesting are the so-called cave fireflies, which live in New Zealand, in a magical place called Waitomo. These insects use the glow of their bodies for two purposes: for predators it is a signal of poisonousness, and for potential victims it is an excellent bait: prey attracted by the light is captured by silky threads hanging in the vaults of the cave.
4. Snails
When a Clusterwink snail senses that it is in danger, it withdraws its body into its shell and it begins to glow bright green from the inside, creating the illusion of increasing in size. As a rule, the enemy, struck by such a metamorphosis, retreats.
5. Ctenophores
These jelly-like creatures get their name because of the eight ridge-like plates on their bodies that help them move through the water. Some species of ctenophores glow bright green or blue in the dark, while others simply scatter light as their combs move, creating a brilliant, iridescent (but not bioluminescent in nature) effect.
6. Fireflies
A special organ located at the bottom of the firefly's abdomen, glowing, signals that the insect is looking for a mate. However, in addition to this, the glow hints to potential predators about the harmless nature of these charming bugs, which makes them unsuitable for food. Even firefly larvae have the ability to produce a recognizable yellow glow.
7. Clems or Veneres
This type of marine mollusk, the average size of which reaches 18 cm, amazes observers with its blue glow, but it appears only under certain circumstances. The first evidence of unusual feature Clemov was left by the Roman statesman Pliny. He noted a change in the color of the air from his breath after eating raw shellfish. Recent studies have shown that the presence of free radicals makes Clemov glow. Such a discovery could provide science with new ways to diagnose cancer in its early stages.
8. Angler fish
The dorsal fin of the female anglerfish is located directly above the mouth. This organ is shaped like a fishing rod with a glowing end that attracts prey. When the prey, interested in the light, swims close enough, the predator suddenly grabs it and tears it into pieces with its powerful jaws.
9. Cockroaches
Two luminous points on the back of one type of cockroach serve as a disguise for the appearance of a poisonous click beetle. This is the only organism known to science that uses bioluminescence for the purpose of protective mimicry. Unfortunately, it is possible that this recently discovered creature has already completely disappeared from the globe as a result of the volcanic eruption in Ecuador in 2010.
10. Mushrooms
There are about 70 species of glowing mushrooms worldwide, distributed in many different places. For many species, the ability to glow helps them reproduce: beetles attracted by the glow and landing on the surface of the mushroom become carriers of its spores.
11. Squid
Many squids use what is called counterillumination. This means that they begin to glow according to the intensity of the light coming from above. This behavior provides them with protection from attacks by predators, who find it difficult to distinguish a prey that has “lost” its shadow.
12. Corals
In fact, most corals are not bioluminescent, but biofluorescent. The first concept expresses the body's ability to produce its own light, while the second represents the accumulation of light from external sources and its reflection with a changed hue. For example, some corals, after absorbing blue and violet rays, begin to glow bright red, orange or green.
13. Octopuses
Tiny deep-sea octopuses owe their glow to special photophore organs located on their bodies - modified suckers. Thanks to them, the tentacles are covered with flickering or continuously shining lights.
14. Starfish
In truth, a creature called Ophiochiton ternispinus starfish does not apply, and yet this species is very close to them. Just like their “star” relatives, they have five limbs, which are particularly thin and highly flexible. These animals emit a bright blue color that helps them hunt in their dark habitat.
15. Sea anemones
Sea anemones, along with their relatives who are not prone to bioluminescence, spend most of their lives swimming freely until they find optimal place for final fixation. Their glowing tentacles sting predators and prey with sharp harpoons.
16. Glowing anchovies
Another deep-sea owner of photophore organs is the luminous anchovy. The bright spots of this fish are located mainly on the belly, but the most spectacular lights are on the forehead, which creates the impression of a headlight on the head.
17. Bacteria
Insects often become prey to a type of bacteria that emits bright light. Individuals of this species release toxins that destroy the victim’s body from the inside.
18. Krill
Arctic waters are densely populated by small crustaceans called krill. These creatures use the bright glow of their tiny bodies as beacons for individuals of their species. Swimming towards each other and flocking together, they are better able to withstand difficult conditions and attacks from predators.
19. Largemouths
The deep-sea largemouth fish, also called the pelican eel, lives on the seabed where it hunts for prey that is sometimes larger than itself own size. The massive mouth of this inhabitant of the depths allows you to swallow arbitrarily large volumes of food. The light organ, located on the long tail, attracts prey wandering in the darkness with its flickering.
20. Sea worms
A rare creature called Swima bombaviridis has an equally unique method of self-defense. There are eight bags with a special liquid on his body. At the moment of danger, they are emptied and the spilled liquid illuminates the area around with a bright blue or green glow, distracting the predator and allowing the sea worm to hide.
On a summer night, fireflies present a bewitching and wonderful sight when, as in a fairy tale, colorful lights twinkle like little stars in the darkness.
Their light is red-yellow and green shades, varying duration and brightness. firefly insect belongs to the order Coleoptera, a family that contains about two thousand species, distributed in almost all parts of the world.
The most striking representatives of insects settled in the subtropics and tropics. There are approximately 20 species in our country. Firefly in Latin it is called: Lampyridae.
Sometimes fireflies emit a longer light in flight, like shooting stars, flying and dancing lights against the backdrop of the southern night. In history there are interesting facts about the use of fireflies by people in everyday life.
For example, chronicles indicate that the first white settlers, on sailing ships sailed to Brazil, Where Same fireflies live, illuminated their homes with their natural light.
And the Indians, when going hunting, tied these natural lanterns to their toes. And bright insects not only helped to see in the dark, but also scared away poisonous snakes. Similar feature of fireflies sometimes it is customary to compare the properties with a lamp daylight.
However, this natural glow is much more convenient, because by emitting their lights, insects do not heat up and do not increase body temperature. Of course, nature took care of this, otherwise it could lead to the death of fireflies.
Nutrition
Fireflies live in grass, in bushes, in moss or under fallen leaves. And at night they go hunting. Fireflies eat, small, larvae of other insects, small animals, snails and rotting plants.
Adult fireflies do not feed, but exist only to procreate, dying after mating and the process of laying eggs. Unfortunately, the mating games of these insects sometimes lead to cannibalism.
Who would have thought that the females of these impressive insects, which adorn the divine summer night, often have an insanely insidious character.
Females of the Photuris species, giving deceptive signals to males of another species, only lure them as if for fertilization, and instead of the desired intercourse, they devour them. Scientists call this behavior aggressive mimicry.
But fireflies are also very useful, especially for humans, by eating and eliminating dangerous pests in fallen leaves of trees and in vegetable gardens. Fireflies in the garden- This good omen for the gardener.
In, where the most unusual and interesting views These insects, fireflies love to settle in rice fields, where they eat, destroying in abundance, freshwater snails, clearing the plantations of unwanted voracious settlers, bringing invaluable benefits.
Reproduction and lifespan
The light that fireflies emit comes in different frequencies, which helps them during mating. When the time comes for the male to procreate, he goes in search of his chosen one. And it is she who distinguishes him as her male by the shade of light signals.
The more expressive and brighter the signs of love, the more chances a partner has to please a charming potential companion. In the hot tropics, among the lush vegetation of forests, gentlemen even arrange for their supposed chosen ones a kind of light and music group serenades, lighting and extinguishing luminous lantern lights that sparkle cleaner than the neon lights of big cities.
At the moment when the large eyes of the male receive the necessary light signal-password from the female, the firefly descends nearby, and the spouses greet each other with bright lights for some time, after which the process of copulation takes place.
Females, if copulation occurs successfully, lay eggs, from which large larvae emerge. They are terrestrial and aquatic, mostly have a black yellow spots colors.
The larvae have incredible gluttony and an incredible appetite. They can consume shells and mollusks, as well as small invertebrates, as desirable food. They have the same glowing ability as adults. Having their fill in the summer, when cold weather sets in, they hide in tree bark, where they remain for the winter.
And in the spring, as soon as they wake up, they begin to actively eat again for a month, and sometimes more. Then the pupation process begins, which lasts from 7 to 18 days. After which, adult individuals appear, ready to once again surprise others with their charming radiance in the dark. The lifespan of an adult is about three to four months.
On warm nights in late June - early July, walking along the edge of the forest, you can see bright green lights in the grass, as if someone had lit small green LEDs. Summer nights are short; you can watch this spectacle for just a couple of hours. But if you rake the grass and shine a flashlight at the place where the light is burning, you can see an inconspicuous worm-like segmented insect, the end of its abdomen glows green. This is what a female looks like firefly (Lampyris noctiluca). People call him Ivanov the worm, Ivanovo worm because of the belief that it appears for the first time of the year on the night of Ivan Kupala. Only females waiting for males on the ground or vegetation are capable of emitting bright light; males practically do not emit light. The male firefly looks like an ordinary normal beetle with hard wing covers, while the female in adulthood remains similar to a larva and has no wings at all. Light is used to attract a male. A special organ that emits light is located on the last segments of the abdomen and has a very interesting structure: there is a lower layer of cells. containing large number urea crystals, and acts as a mirror reflecting light. The luminiferous layer itself is penetrated by tracheas (for oxygen access) and nerves. Light is produced by the oxidation of a special substance, luciferin, with the participation of ATP. Fireflies have this very efficient process, occurring with almost 100% efficiency, all energy goes into light, with virtually no heat generated. And now a little more detail about all this.
Common firefly (Lampyris noctiluca) is a member of the firefly family ( Lampyridae) order of beetles (Coleoptera, Coleoptera). The males of these beetles have a cigar-shaped body, up to 15 mm long, and a rather large head with large hemispherical eyes. They fly well. The females are theirs appearance They resemble larvae, have a worm-like body up to 18 mm long, and are wingless. Fireflies can be seen on forest edges, damp glades, on the banks of forest lakes and streams.
The main ones in every sense of the word are their luminous organs. In most fireflies they are located in the back of the abdomen, resembling a large flashlight. These organs are arranged according to the principle of a lighthouse. They have a kind of “lamp” - a group of photocytic cells entwined with trachea and nerves. Each such cell is filled with “fuel”, which is the substance luciferin. When a firefly breathes, air enters the luminous organ through the trachea, where luciferin is oxidized under the influence of oxygen. In progress chemical reaction energy is released in the form of light. A real lighthouse always emits light in the right direction - towards the sea. Fireflies are also not far behind in this regard. Their photocytes are surrounded by cells filled with uric acid crystals. They perform the function of a reflector (mirror-reflector) and allow you not to waste valuable energy in vain. However, these insects might not even care about saving money, because the productivity of their luminous organs would be the envy of any technician. Coefficient useful action in fireflies it reaches a fantastic 98%! This means that only 2% of energy is wasted, and in human creations (cars, electrical appliances) between 60 and 96% of energy is wasted.
The glow reaction involves several chemical compounds. One of them, resistant to heat and present in small quantities, is luciferin. Another substance is the enzyme luciferase. Also, for the glow reaction, adenosine triphosphoric acid (ATP) is also required. Luciferase is a protein rich in sulfhydryl groups.
Light is produced by the oxidation of luciferin. Without luciferase, the rate of reaction between luciferin and oxygen is extremely low; catalyzing luciferase significantly increases its rate. ATP is required as a cofactor.
Light arises when oxyluciferin transitions from an excited state to a ground state. In this case, oxyluciferin is associated with an enzyme molecule and, depending on the hydrophobicity of the microenvironment of the excited oxyluciferin, the emitted light varies various types fireflies from yellow-green (with a more hydrophobic microenvironment) to red (with a less hydrophobic). The fact is that in a more polar microenvironment, some of the energy is dissipated. Luciferases from various fireflies generate bioluminescence with maxima from 548 to 620 nm. In general, the energy efficiency of the reaction is very high: almost all of the reaction energy is transformed into light without emitting heat.
All beetles contain the same luciferin. Luciferase, on the contrary, has different types are different. It follows that the change in the color of the glow depends on the structure of the enzyme. Studies have shown that temperature and pH of the environment have a significant effect on the color of the glow. At the microscopic level, luminescence is characteristic only of the cytoplasm of cells, while the nucleus remains dark. The glow is emitted by photogenic granules located in the cytoplasm. When researching in ultraviolet rays In fresh sections of photogenic cells, these granules can be detected by their other property - fluorescence - depending on the presence of luciferin.
Quantum yield of reaction compared to classic examples luminescence is unusually high, approaching unity. In other words, for each luciferin molecule participating in the reaction, one quantum of light is emitted.
Fireflies are predators, feeding on insects and shellfish. Firefly larvae lead a wandering life, like ground beetle larvae. The larvae feed on small invertebrates, mainly terrestrial mollusks, in whose shells they often hide themselves.
Adult beetles do not feed and die soon after mating and laying eggs. The female lays eggs on leaves or on the ground. Soon black larvae with yellow speckles emerge from them. They eat a lot and grow quickly and, by the way, also glow. At the beginning of autumn, while it is still warm, they climb under the bark of trees, where they spend the entire winter. In the spring they come out of hiding, fatten for several days, and then pupate. After two weeks, young fireflies appear.
Looking at the bright flickering of fireflies, since ancient times people have wondered why not use them for useful purposes. The Indians attached them to moccasins to illuminate paths and scare away snakes. The first settlers to South America They used these bugs as lighting for their huts. In some settlements this tradition has been preserved to this day.
