The "giant of the fireflies" appeared in Sichuan and was named the giant female light firefly

Beijing, June 24 (CCTV) -- According to the "News Hyperlink" of the Voice of China of the Central Radio and Television Corporation, the Chengdu Huaxi Entomological Museum recently collected a giant firefly female adult worm with a body length of more than 5 centimeters in Zhao GongShan, Dujiangyan, Chengdu. This species line was first collected in China, there is no Chinese name, curator Zhao Li named it giant female light firefly according to its taxonomic status and physical characteristics.

During the day, the appearance of the giant female light fireflies resembles a large yellow mealworm, unremarkable. But at night, it miraculously glowed green, like a bunch of small lights. There are more than 30 glowing points on its body, and it does not flicker, and its brightness is far greater than that of ordinary fireflies.

Why can the giant female light firefly grow so big, and why is it so different in morphology compared to the fireflies we think of? What is the principle of glow of fireflies?

What is the naming of the giant female light fireflies?

Giant female light firefly is a very rare firefly, this firefly has not been professionally studied in China, and the discovery is also very accidental. Zhao Li, director of the Chengdu Huaxi Insect Museum, the name of the giant female light firefly, said that although China has not yet had a professional record of the giant female light firefly, according to some foreign studies, as early as 1888, overseas experts formulated a formal Latin scientific name for the giant female light firefly, but for the convenience of China's research, Zhao Li named it the giant female light firefly. The reason why it is named giant female light firefly is not unrelated to the appearance characteristics and physiological habits of this firefly.

Zhao Li said that the giant female light firefly is the largest known firefly in our country, and the giant female light firefly only females can emit light, belonging to the female light firefly genus of the female light firefly family, so it was finally decided to call it the giant female light firefly.

Giant female light fluorescent (source: @Huaxi Insect Museum Zhao Li)

Why did the giant female light firefly become the "giant" among the fireflies?

In daily life, most of our common insects are "small men" of no more than 5 centimeters, but the giant female light fireflies found this time can grow to 5 centimeters or even longer, which is very rare in fireflies. The "huge" size of the giant female fluorescent fireflies is formed by continuous adaptation to the needs of survival in the long-term evolutionary process. Zhao Li deduced that the reason why the giant female light fireflies are large is to gather a large amount of nutrients in the body for survival during the incubation of eggs. Giant female lightflies lay fewer eggs than other fireflies, laying only twenty or thirty eggs at a time, while other fireflies can reach hundreds or even thousands. In order to ensure the survival rate of offspring, female giant female light fireflies must incubate eggs until the larvae are born, during the incubation of eggs, adults can not leave the eggs, adults can not prey, so they must store a large amount of nutrients in their bodies to ensure their survival. In this way, the female giant female light fireflies are much larger than the average fireflies.

In addition to their large size, the appearance of giant female lightflies is also different from that of common fireflies, they are more like caterpillars, which is also related to their reproductive habits. Zhao Li said that female giant female light fireflies will always remain in larval form and will not grow wings. Because pupae and then become adults consume a lot of nutrients, they need to save as much nutrients as possible for reproduction.

Why does "sac firefly" "reflect snow"? How do fireflies emit light?

The biggest difference between fireflies and other mobs is that they emit light, and fireflies often use light to court or intimidate predators. In ancient times, fireflies were also collected together as a light source at night, and the idiom "sac fluorescent snow" also came from this. So why do fireflies glow? Zhao Li said that fireflies emit light because they have phosphorus-containing fluorescein in their bodies. Fireflies can produce a catalytic enzyme through their own nervous system, which reacts when it comes into contact with phosphorus-containing fluorescein to produce a cold light, which is the light emitted by the tail of the firefly we see. Relevant experts have done a determination that the fluorescein of the same weight of fireflies can emit 80,000 times the light of the same weight candle, which shows that the fireflies are a highly efficient "light-emitting machine". Ordinary fireflies are already gifted and can emit light efficiently, and the giant female light fireflies, with their large size, have an amazing ability to emit light. There are more than 30 glow points on the giant female light firefly, which means that a giant female light firefly emits more than thirty times more luminous amount than an ordinary firefly.

Fireflies have higher requirements for the environment, and in some places with better ecological environments, we may have a greater opportunity to appreciate the light emitted by fireflies.

Producer: Bai Zhonghua

Reporter: Hejia

Editor: Fu Zhao, Peng Yuji, Pan Yuwei