Firefly aka ‘Candle-fly’: Nature’s Fairy Lights

 

I have fond memories of visiting my grandfather’s house on the East Coast Demerara as a kid, swinging in the hammock late into the evening, sometimes I would notice the flickering of about two to three lights. I would be quite fascinated by these lights especially knowing that they were tiny, flying creatures. No, these are not sentient fairy lights but a bug called ‘Firefly’ or some of you might know it as ‘Candle-fly’. In a way, they are somewhat nature’s fairy lights.

Scientific Classificaton

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Arthropoda

Class: Insecta

Order: Coleoptera

Suborder: Polyphaga

Infraorder: Elateriformia

Superfamily: Elateroidea

Family: Lampyridae

 

Description

They are soft-bodied beetles that range from 5 to 25 mm (up to 1 inch) in length. The flattened, dark brown, or black body is often marked with orange or yellow. The most common species of firefly in Guyana is the Spotted Tortoise Firefly which has a flatted, yellow body with spots of black.

Habitat      

Fireflies dwell in different ecosystems. Numerous species flourish in fields, forests, or the spaces between them. Some fireflies live in drier regions, although they usually prefer the rainy season. Fireflies can be found all across the world from North and South America to Europe and Asia. They live near ponds, streams, marshes, and rivers and need a lot of water to survive. 

Diet 

Firefly larvae eat snails, worms, and slugs, which they inject with a numbing chemical to disable. Adults eat other fireflies, nectar, or pollen, although some don’t eat at all.

Reproduce

Most fireflies emit brief, rhythmic flashes that follow a pattern unique to the species. The periodic flash pattern is a feature of a signaling system that unites the sexes. Important factors include the frequency of flashing and the interval before the female reacts to the male. The female will lay her eggs usually in moist soil, moss, or the dead log of trees such as silver maple or cottonwood tree. Within two weeks the eggs hatch and the larvae emerge. They are segmented with flattened bodies. 

Fun Fact: In the United States fireflies can last one to three years in their larval state but in South America, they only last for about a few months. 

Interesting Facts About Fireflies 

1. Fireflies are nocturnal members of Lampyridae (which in Greek means “to shine”)
2. Some species of fireflies can synchronize their flashes to mimic other groups of fireflies.
3. Fireflies can give off a green, orange or yellow light.
4. A chemical reaction within the firefly’s light organ produces the light—oxygen combines with calcium, adenosine triphosphate (ATP—the energy-carrying molecule of all cells), and a chemical called luciferin when an enzyme called luciferase is present.

Fireflies Used In Research

Scientists have always been fascinated by the different evolutionary advantages of other animals and how they can be used to benefit the lives of human beings, no doubt, one of those animals will be the firefly which is able to give off its own light due to a chemical known as ‘luciferin’ which is what gives fireflies their ability to glow.

Used in Cancer Research

When the chemical luciferin was inserted into cancer cells it triggered a chain reaction which caused the cancer cells to die due to the light. 

Used by Engineers

The engineers are MIT have come up with a brilliant way of solving the world’s energy crisis and that’s by creating plants that glow. These glowing plants can last up to four hours and hopefully with further modifications they can last longer. They created nanoparticles that carried luciferin which was then inserted into the plants. 

Fireflies are wonderful creatures that can help pave the way to a bright future. 

 

References:

• https://newengland.com/today/living/gardening/what-do-fireflies-eat/
• https://www.firefly.org/firefly-habitat.html
• https://www.nwf.org/Educational-Resources/Wildlife-Guide/Invertebrates/Fireflies#:~:text=Firefly%20larvae%20eat%20snails%2C%20worms,lose%20this%20ability%20in%20adulthood.
• https://www.ecowatch.com/12-fascinating-facts-about-fireflies-1891169972.html
• https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/14-fun-facts-about-fireflies-142999290/
• https://www.goldbio.com/articles/article/fireflies-from-ancient-legend-to-modern-discoveries#:~:text=In%20ancient%20Amazonian%20mythology%2C%20firefly,warriors%20and%20the%20Taira%20warriors.
• https://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2003/apr/firefly-light-helps-destroy-cancer-cells#:~:text=In%20a%20new%20study%2C%20UCL,record%20at%20fighting%20the%20disease.
• https://news.mit.edu/2017/engineers-create-nanobionic-plants-that-glow-1213