When fireflies are mentioned, many people will think of the romantic bridge in the film and television works, a pair of sweet lovers staged a love story in a fluorescent environment. But how much do you know about this little bug?
Fireflies are the common name for fireflies, there are about 2,000 species in the world, distributed in tropical, subtropical and temperate regions, there are 10 genera and 54 species recorded in China, common chinese yellow fireflies, mountain window fireflies and yellow edge fireflies.
The firefly is about 0.8 cm long, with a flattened and slender body, a smaller head, softer body walls and elytra wings, and a head covered by a larger front chest cover. Males have long antennae, flattened filaments or serrated teeth, and have luminous devices at the end of the abdomen that emit fluorescence, most of which are winged; females are wingless, larger than males and cannot fly, but are fluorescent brighter than males.
The life history of fireflies is completely metamorphosed, passing through four stages: eggs, larvae, pupae, and adult insects. Fireflies are divided into two categories according to their living environment: terrestrial and aquatic, with the former accounting for the majority. Aquatic fireflies usually complete one generation in 4 months and 2 generations in 1 year, while terrestrial fireflies can complete 1 generation in 1 year. The lifespan of adult insects in the wild is generally 3-7 days, but there are also up to 20-30 days.
The larvae of aquatic fireflies eat snails, shellfish and small animals in the water, while terrestrial fireflies feed on snails and clams. Most species of adult fireflies drink only water or eat pollen and nectar, or use fat stored in the larval stage.
As for the secret of the glow of fireflies, it has been studied by scientists. Originally, the body of the firefly contains two chemicals, firefly and fluorescein, the former is a biologically active protein, the latter is a high-energy compound atp that is common in organisms, and atp is oxidized under the action of firefly enzymes, which will emit different colors of fluorescence. This fluorescence does not contain infrared and ultraviolet rays, and the temperature is below 0.001 ° C, so it is called "cold light". The biological significance of fireflies' luminescence is that adults use species-specific flash signals to locate and attract the opposite sex, thereby completing the mission of courtship mating and reproduction, a small number of fireflies use flash signals to prey, and another role is as a warning signal, that is, when fireflies are stimulated, they will emit light.
I once found fireflies at the foot of the wall in front of the courtyard on an early autumn night, and its yellow-green fluorescence flashed and flashed, bringing a romantic and mysterious atmosphere to the night. As for the large area of firefly light, I have not been lucky enough to see it, but I think it is a more beautiful situation.