Glowworm

Glowworm

:otheruses

Glowworm (or glow-worm) is the common name for various different groups of insect larva and adult larviform females which glow through bioluminescence. They may sometimes resemble worms, but all are insects ("Arachnocampa" being a fly and all the others being beetles). The major families are:

* Lampyridae (fireflies), found around the world. The wingless adult female is the glowworm of literature, especially "Lampyris noctiluca" (the "Glow-worm" proper of British English) found in the most of Europe. In this species the male flies but does not glow. Additionally, in the British Isles a Firefly commonly refers to members of the Luciola family common throughout Europe, in which both the males and the flightless females glow.

* Phengodidae, found in North America and South America.

* "Arachnocampa" (formerly called "Bolitiphila"), found in New Zealand and Australia.

The glow in the former two groups is a yellow-green colour. The so-called railroad worms in the "Phengodidae" family have an additional red light at their head. The fly larvae produce a blue-green colour. The glow is produced by different organs in the different families, suggesting they evolved separately, though several other beetle families in the superfamily Cantharoidea exhibit bioluminescence, suggesting a single origin within this lineage, so the Lampyrids and Phengodids do apparently share a common bioluminescent ancestor. The chemical reaction in each case is very efficient; nearly 100% of the energy input is turned into light (compared to the best light-emitting diodes at just 22%).

The purpose of the glow varies. Those adult females which glow do so to attract a male for mating. The "Lampyridae" larvae are believed to glow as a warning signal (see aposematism) to predators like toads not to eat them as they're mildly toxic. But the "Arachnocampa" larvae on the other hand glow to attract prey like midges into sticky snare lines for the larva to feed on.

ee also

Articles about groups of glowworms:

* "Arachnocampa"
* Lampyridae
* Phengodidae
* Railroad worm

Articles about glowworm locations:

* Waitomo Caves, Waitomo, Waikato, New Zealand
* Te Ana-au Caves, Lake Te Anau, Fjordland, South Island, New Zealand
* Wellington Botanic Garden, New Zealand
* Glow-Worm Caves Tamborine Mountain, Southeastern Queensland, Australia
* Newnes Glow Worm Tunnel, Blue Mountains (Australia), in New South Wales
* Natural Bridge, Queensland, Gold Coast hinterland, Queensland, Australia
* [http://www.glowworms.org.uk The UK Glow Worm Survey] has county-by-county lists of glowworm sites in the UK

Other:
* "The Glow-Worm", popular song

References

* "Glow worm" article, Encyclopædia Britannica, 15th edition

* [http://www.teara.govt.nz/1966/G/Glow-worm/Glow-worm/en Glow-worm] article in the Encyclopaedia of New Zealand 1966, at teara.govt.nz

* [http://www.waitomocaves.co.nz/glowworm-caves-boat-ride/361/Glowworm+Lifecycle.aspx The Glowworm Lifecycle] at waitomocaves.co.nz

* [http://www.dins.com The Harvard Din & Tonics] Performers of the song, "Glow worm"

* [http://www.glowworms.org.uk The UK Glow worm Survey] home page

*cite journal | quotes=no|doi= 10.1093/beheco/14.1.103 |title=Glow-worm larvae bioluminescence (Coleoptera: Lampyridae) operates as an aposematic signal upon toads ("Bufo bufo") |author=Raphaël De Cock and Erik Matthysen |journal=Behavioral Ecology |volume=14 |number=1 |pages=103–108 |year=2003

* [http://www.teara.govt.nz/TheBush/InsectsAndOtherInvertebrates/Glowworms/en "Glow-worms"] in Te Ara the Encyclopedia of New Zealand


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Look at other dictionaries:

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  • glowworm — [glō′wʉrm΄] n. any of a number of beetles or beetle larvae that give off a luminescent light; esp., the wingless female or the larva of the firefly …   English World dictionary

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  • glowworm — noun Etymology: Middle English Date: 14th century any of various luminous insect larvae or adults with wings rudimentary or lacking; especially a larva or wingless female of a firefly (family Lampyridae) that emits light from the abdomen …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • glowworm — noun The larva or wingless grub like female of a beetle from the families Phengodidae or Lampyridae that gives out a green light from its abdomen. The Glow worm shews the Matin to be near, And gins to pale his uneffectual fire. [ …   Wiktionary

  • glowworm — Synonyms and related words: blink, blinking, candle fly, coruscation, fire beetle, firefly, fireworm, glimmer, glimmering, glisten, glister, glitter, glittering, lampyrid, lantern fly, lightning bug, luciferase, luciferin, luminophor, phosphor,… …   Moby Thesaurus

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