Summer and bugs are synonymous. You can’t have one without the other. While many insects such as the mosquito and tick can be a nascence, some insects are totally amazing. The firefly is one of those amazing insects. I mean, who hasn’t enjoyed seeing, chasing or catching these luminous insects on a warm summers evening?
Fireflies or sometimes called lightning bugs are not flies nor are they bugs. In fact they are a type of beetle. Beetles are defined as any number of insects in the family Lampyridae, having biting mouth parts and modified front wings to form hard wing covers that overlie the membranous rear wings. In other words they eat other insects and have a hard shell over the hind portion of their body and their wings.
Fireflies glow at all stages of life, including eggs, larva and adult. Thus, the ability to glow just as an adult is not a characteristic of this group of beetles. To confuse the situation even more, not all bioluminescent beetles are fireflies. But you should leave this fine distinction between beetles to the entomologist (one who studies insects).
Fireflies start out as an egg which is usually laid in rotting wood or the leaf litter on the forest floor. After hatching the larva feed upon other insects and sometimes snails. They then pupate (rest) for up to several weeks before emerging as the flying adult beetle.
Although fireflies are found around the world they are most common in the humid tropical areas of the world. However in North America very few if any fireflies are found west of the Mississippi River.
There are many kinds of fireflies and each has its own special way of lighting up the night. Each species flashes its own coded signal. Some flash a single brief light while others have a series of flash. Some flash while perched in tall vegetation while others will flash while in flight. The results of these flying flashes are like sky-writing, with some species creating a “J” , “U” or other shapes in the night sky.
So why would a tiny insect have such an elaborate bioluminescent body? To attract a mate of course. Typically males will fly about just after dark flashing their species specific flash pattern. Females perched on vegetation watch for the males flash. Studies show that females prefer males that flash longer and brighter. If the male catches the attention of a particular female, she will respond with her own flash. A short flash dialogue may ensue between the potential mates. The male then seeks out the female by following her flashing. After locating her they will mate and she will go off to lay her eggs and start the cycle over again.
Fireflies produce light via a chemical reaction consisting of Luciferin (a substrate) combined with Luciferase (an enzyme), along with ATP (adenosine triphosphate) combined with oxygen. I won’t boar you with any more of the details. Obviously the fireflies can control when and how long they flash, but how they turn on and off the light is still unknown. Many theories abound.
One thing that is known, the light these beetles produce is very efficient with very little heat being given off as wasted energy. Just about 100 percent of a firefly’s light is given off as light. By comparison, a normal electric light bulb gives off only 10 percent of its energy as light, while 90 percent is wasted as heat. I am sure we could learn a thing or two about energy efficiency from our friend firefly.
So, this summer, why don’t you revisit your childhood by going out and enjoy the natural fireworks of the firefly. Until next time…