There are over 2,000 species of fireflies. The firefly
belongs to the insect family of Lampyridae. Common names for this
insect are firefly, lightening bug, or glowworm. They aren’t actually
flies, as entomologists classify them, they are beetles! Unlike flies,
who have one pair of wings, fireflies have two pair of wings, four wings
altogether. The word “fly” is in many insect names, such as firefly,
dragonfly, or scorpianfly, but the insects are not true flies and belong
to another family of insects.
Most fireflies are bioluminescent as adults and have the ability
to glow. Bioluminescence means simply light produced by a chemical
reaction, which originates in an organism. All known firefly larvae
are bioluminescent, as are firefly eggs. Not all bioluminescent beetles
are fireflies. There are some related beetle families that have bioluminescent
members, such as click beetles (Elateridae), phenogdid beetles (Phengodidae),
and several other very small families.
Other Links:
Home
How do fireflies communicate to their mates
and prey?
Other Forms of Communication
How do fireflies produce light?
Illumination
What is bioluminescence?
Resources
