Firefly is the name of a beetle that is seen inhabiting all the continents of the world, except Antarctica. Also known as a lightning bug or glowworm, it has the ability to produce light within its body. Its light organs are located under the abdomen. When a firefly breathes in oxygen and combines it with called luciferin, a substance present inside its special cells, the result is production of light, which has almost no heat. Fireflies are mainly found in moist habitats, such as swampy areas, fields, lawns and at the edges of woods or streams. In case you want to know more about fireflies, make use of the interesting and amazing information given below.
Facts about Firefly
Common Names: Firefly, Lightning Bug and Glowworm
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Infraclass: Neoptera
Superorder: Endopterygota
Order: Coleoptera
Suborder: Polyphaga
Infraorder: Elateriformia
Superfamily: Elateroidea
Family: Lampyridae
Subfamilies: Five
Species: Over 2000
Length: 5 to 25 millimeters
Diet: Omnivorous
Natural Habitat: Temperate and tropical environments
Incubation Period: 3-4 weeks
Interesting & Amazing Information on Fireflies
- A firefly is neither a fly, nor a bug. Rather, it is a beetle that belongs to Lampyridae family.
- Firefly produces a cold light in its body, devoid of heat as well as any ultraviolet or infrared rays.
- The light that emerges from the body of a firefly has a wavelength ranging from 510 to 670 nanometers and is pale reddish, yellowish or green in color.
- Neither do fireflies bite, nor do they have pincers.
- A firefly spends most of its lifespan as a larva. In the adult form, it survives for a very short span.
- Female fireflies lay their eggs in the soil and even the latter are reported to glow in the dark.
- After hatching, the larvae spend the summer eating tiny insects, larvae, and even slugs and snails.
- After a firefly larva reaches adult stage, it usually stops feeding and survives on the nutrients built during the larva stage. Even when it does eat, it is mainly nectar or dew, for moisture.
- The main aim of an adult firefly is to find a mate and lay eggs before dying.
- Male and female firefly, both glow. However, their rhythmic flashing patterns depend upon the sex and the species.
- Different species of fireflies have different communication system, based on the lighting patterns.
- Fireflies produce light for three reasons - attracting mates, warning predators and telling other fireflies of danger.
