This entire time they eat anything they can find. They live in soil/mud/leaf litter and spend from 1-2 years growing until finally pupating to become adults. The larvae usually live for about a year, becoming adults in time for mating season.įireflies spend up to 95% of their lives in larval stages. An adult firefly lives just long enough to mate and lay eggs. If she finds one, she’ll signal it with a flash of her own. Often the male will fly, while females wait in trees, shrubs, grasses to spot an attractive male. According to Ben Pfeiffer, firefly researcher, in some firefly species, only one sex lights up. ATP, a chemical within the firefly’s body, converts to energy and initiates the glow.įireflies communicate with their lights – mostly to attract mates, but also to defend territory and deter predators. Luciferase is an enzyme that triggers light emission. Luciferin is heat resistant, and it glows under the right conditions. (Incandescent bulbs emit only 10 percent of their energy as light and 90 percent as heat.) In a firefly’s tail are two chemicals: luciferase and luciferin. Firefly light is the world’s most efficient light. Most of those are in the easterly side of our country, so we are doubly lucky.įireflies’ luminescence is the result of a chemical reaction inside their abdomens that allows their inner glow to shine through. Although there are more than 2,000 species of fireflies in the world, only 170 or so call the U.S. We are lucky to live where they are plentiful. These little insects are fascinating creatures. Lightning bugs or fireflies? Whatever you call them, remember seeing the tiny flashes sparking in the gathering dusk and running to find a Mason jar to catch them in? And then watching them twinkle in a fairy lantern? Summer magic! Livestock owners need to beware that blister beetles can be inadvertently baled in hay.Firefly Lanterns (Courtesy Google Images) Keep cats indoors, and watch what Fido gets into. Remember that inquisitive cats, dogs, and other pets can also suffer from encounters with toxic insects, millipedes, and other invertebrates. Most millipedes coil up before excreting such chemicals. Among the over 30 toxins known from various millipedes are hydrogen cyanide, acetic acid (vinegar), formic acid, benzaldehyde, and phenol. Most millipedes, class Diplopoda, have defensive chemical secretions that they deploy when threatened by a potential predator. Two chemicals stored in separate glands inside the beetle come together in a “reaction chamber” in the beetle’s rear, creating a minor explosion. Bother a bombardier beetle and it will literally blast you with hot acid. Bombardier Beetlesīombardier beetles (Brachinus spp.) are not common, but you might find them under stones or boards in fields or near water. This is the bug’s way of advertising that it is dangerous to eat. Steer clear of insects with bold patterns of black or metallic blue and white, red, yellow, or orange. Insects that feed on toxic plants, like milkweed, often sequester those toxins, incorporating the poisons into their own bodies for self-defense. Ingested, it can be fatal, even to horses and other large animals. The liquid contains the toxin cantharidin, and it can raise painful, scarring blisters on sensitive skin. Squeeze one and it exudes an oily liquid from its leg and body joints. They are most abundant in deserts, prairies, meadows, and agricultural lands. Blister Beetlesīlister beetles (family Meloidae) are unfortunately non-descript, and diverse in their appearance. You wouldn’t lick a toad, so don’t try a firefly, either. The bright glow of a firefly adult or larva is thought to be a warning that these insects are full of potent steroid chemicals called “lucibufagins.” The compounds are a close relative of toad toxins. If your toddler is prone to putting things into his or her mouth, be careful that they don’t try tasting these toxic insects and related organisms.
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