Storytelling
Science
Species Spotlight
Firefly
Quick Facts
Name: Fireflies, Lighting bugs
Diet: The larvae are usually carnivorous eating snails, worms, and other insects, etc. Adults can be carnivorous but tend to feed on pollen, nectar, or nothing at all!
Behaviour: Larvae are nocturnal and solitary. Adults are usually nocturnal and can either be solitary or some species congregate in large numbers.
Lifespan: A couple of months to 3 years
Size: Less than a centimetre to 2.5cm
Habitat/Range: Temperate/tropical regions in every continent except Antarctica. Fireflies are commonly found in areas with standing water, such as marshes woodlands, and gardens.
Threats: Habitat degradation, light pollution, pesticide use, poor water quality, climate change, invasive species, poaching/over-collection.
Conservation Status: Several species are threatened with three listed as critically endangered.
Names & Nicknames: Fireflies, Lighting bugs.
Size: In most cases, these winged wonders max out at about 2.5cm. Tiny, really. However, there is an understudied genus of fireflies called Lamprigera found in Southeast Asia, where some species can reach up to 14cm in length – that's almost as long as your hand!
Smell: You'll know when a scared firefly rocks up at the party. They wear a certain musty fragrance made up of chemicals they produce to help ward off hungry predators (some species of firefly might even deploy this when guarding their eggs), a real nose full.
Communication: Fireflies use a sequence of light flashes produced by their ‘lantern’, a tiny organ on the underside of their abdomen to help find a mate! They also use their built-in flashlight to warn any predators off, basically saying, "HEY! Don't eat me, I taste nasty". And if any predatory bats don't get the message, our lantern heroes make ultrasonic clicks with their wings – a not-so-subtle (considering the predator's sensitive hearing) signal that bats have associated with fireflies' bad taste!
Favourite Hangout: Fireflies are found in the warmer parts of every continent except Antarctica, and just love to be near slow-moving or still water. Because of this, they are often found in marshes, wet woodlands, and garden ponds. Some of them love water so much that their larvae are completely aquatic!
Favourite Snack: Most adult fireflies are peace-loving vegetarians, eating pollen, nectar, or even nothing at all. Yep, they're no stranger to a little fast. Their larvae, on the other hand, are voracious little carnivores, usually munching on soft-bodied snacks like snails, worms, and slugs.
Eating Habits: It's a bit harder to catch live prey compared to the pollen and nectar of their adult counterparts. So, to help with this, firefly larvae create a numbing concoction of chemicals that they inject into their hapless prey, allowing them to kick back and feast at their leisure.
Toilet Humour: A firefly's main form of defence is that it tastes gross. Really gross. Most species of fireflies are filled with a mixture of nasty-tasting chemicals in the hope that if a predator does eat one, it certainly won't want to eat any more! (Although that doesn't stop some predators from snacking!) Talk about taking one for the team.
Love Language: Some pulse, some flicker, some blink, but all male fireflies glow for the same reason: to attract a mate. The aim is to find a female who will flash back, so they can unite and make sweet insect love. However, some species need to be on their toes, as some predatory fireflies eat other fireflies and will mimic the glow of a female of that species to lure a lovestruck male to its doom!
If you see them: Tune in and enjoy the show. Some firefly species combine to create a dazzling display that is one of the most beautiful in the natural world. Even the sight of a single firefly blinking in the darkness is pretty special. Please watch, but don’t touch. It can be tempting to catch fireflies, but this can be very stressful and can harm these small and gentle insects.
Red Flags: Firefly species around the world are affected by several different threats, from habitat loss to pesticide use. For a creature so dependent on light, artificial light pollution from humans can be a major problem. Lights at night can play havoc on nocturnal firefly species, rendering them unable to communicate and find mates, and these lonely fireflies may be unable to reproduce during their short adult lifespan.
Not So Epic Journeys: A major problem with firefly conservation is that they simply do not migrate, not even over short distances. So when a firefly's habitat is destroyed, the fireflies disappear along with it.
GLOW-up: Fireflies are a species of beetle, and like all beetles, they undergo a complete metamorphosis. What this means is they have various stages in their life cycle where they look very different! They go from an egg to a larvae, which is the stage they spend the most time in. They will then form a pupa to transform (like a butterfly) into a beautiful glowing adult firefly!
Facts: A firefly's light is the most energy-efficient light in the world. 100% of the energy within its ‘bulb’ is used to produce light. Compare that to a standard lightbulb, which is only 10% efficient, meaning 90% of its energy is wasted as heat!
Who are they in the friendship group: People can't stop commenting on their 'natural glow'.
How threatened are they: Several species are threatened, with three listed as critically endangered. This probably only tells us a small part of the story, and it is thought that many, many of these species may be at risk of extinction!