<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="9" > 5 cm giant fireflies appear in Sichuan</h1>
On the 19th, Zhao Gongshan, Dujiangyan, Chengdu, collected a female adult giant firefly with a body length of more than 5 centimeters. It has more than 30 glowing points around it, which has sparked a heated discussion, and the argument is: how can fireflies be like caterpillars?
In fact, most of the species in fireflies are subsurface or semi-aquatic. The "glowing caterpillars" in the video are female adults, and the males flying around are all members of the light firefly family.
Many fireflies in this subject are actually like caterpillars, so there is nothing surprising about this matter, but we usually do not need to know this knowledge point, naturally we do not understand. Pictured below are other members of the family Lithophoridae, also known as the "Glowing Caterpillar".
Let's get into the main topic, which is also something that I am very curious about.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" Data-track="17" How do fireflies glow >? </h1>
As the summer gets deeper and deeper, the days get longer and longer, we fantasize more and more about the summer, summer barbecues, picnics, work stops, swimming by the sea... Nor will we forget the firefly, whose light is a necessary symbol of the lazy, hazy days and nights of summer.
Fireflies contain a chemical called fluorescein in their abdomen. When the chemical binds to oxygen and an enzyme called luciferase, the ensuing chemical reaction causes their abdomen to glow.
This light is called bioluminescence, which is the production of chemical light through reactions in the organism. Glow of fireflies is most commonly found in drylands, but bioluminescence is more common among many fungi, fish, and other marine wildlife on the ocean floor. Bioluminescence is a type of "cold light" that does not generate any heat, such as the light emitted by a light bulb.
This is taken for granted, because if a firefly generates heat while glowing, it will have to respond accordingly at the evolutionary level, and the trouble will die.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" Data-track="23" Why do fireflies glow >? </h1>
The answer is actually something that everyone can guess.
They mainly use this ability to find a spouse. Interestingly, not all fireflies glow. There are several species that fly during the day, apparently relying on the smell of pheromones to find each other.
Each firefly species has its own signaling system. In most species we know, males fly at the right altitude, in the right habitat, and at the right time, and send a unique signal. Females sit on the ground or in vegetation and observe males. When a female sees a male in the sky that the light is pleasing to the eye, she will flash back with a flash that suits her. Then, when the male flew to her side, the two signaled each other for a final round of "interviews." If all goes well, they will mate.
See, the female mentioned here is the "glowing caterpillar" mentioned above.
Different fireflies have different glow strategies. Some species "call" for a few hours a night, while others only flash for about 20 minutes at dusk. Fireflies' optical communication may become more complex; some species have multiple signaling systems, and some may use their light-emitting organs for other purposes. There are more than 2,000 kinds of fireflies, and the details are endless.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="32" > fireflies glow without fear of being spotted by predators? </h1>
Many fireflies use chemicals called lucibufagins to protect themselves from predators. These are molecules synthesized by insects from other chemicals they eat in their diets. Lucibufagins are chemically very similar to the toxins oozing from the skin of toads, and although they are low in toxins, the smell of disgusting chemicals can make them very annoying.
Birds and other predators avoid fireflies. I've seen a bird swallow a firefly and then spit it out quickly. The fireflies left slimily, but apparently unharmed.
When I was a bear child, I used the method of agitation to ask my friend to put a firefly in his mouth, and his mouth was numb for an hour, accompanied by vomiting, fortunately it was not a big problem, but I invited him a week of fifty cents of soda.
Many other insects visually mimic fireflies in order to get a buff that looks like something unpleasant and poisonous to eat.
Fireflies also appear to produce other defensive chemicals. For example, some female fireflies will eat mating males, transfer their chemicals to themselves, and when they are targeted by predators, they will transfer these substances again, this time injecting their own blood. If the predator dares to swallow, directly fill the mouth full of pulp chemicals.
So fireflies are not afraid of predators to find them, on the contrary, predators will walk around them.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="43" > postscript</h1>
Most fireflies inhabit woodlands, meadows and swamps. They need habitats to be undisturbed for a year or more to complete their life cycle.
These insects spend most of their lives as larvae, preying on earthworms and other animals in the soil or deciduous leaves. By the adult stage, most fireflies do not eat at all, and like ephemerals, their ultimate goal is reproduction.
If this habitat is destroyed at its infancy, the population in the area may become extinct.
We still have a lot to learn about fireflies. Watch out for nearby fireflies, observe their flash patterns and behaviors, and maybe you'll spot new species as well.