Fireflies can be a festive sight for a brief period in the
latter part of the year along the Toowoomba Range escarpment. Fireflies
are beetles (Coleoptera), not flies, and they belong to a family found
throughout the world (except for Antarctica) called Lampyridae. There are about
2000 species world-wide, but Australia has only 25 described species, all of
them confined to the wetter parts of coastal Northern Territory and eastern
Australia, especially in rain forest and mangroves.
The firefly species seen locally is Atyphella scintillans. The males fly just after dusk emitting a
series of controlled flashes from light organs on the underside of their body.
This is part of their mating sequence. Females also flash but have not been
observed to fly with males. Larvae and pupae are also faintly luminous.
Synchronised flashing, which is common in New Guinea species, has also been
observed in some north Queensland species.
The ground-dwelling
larvae live in moist leaf litter and are predators on small, soft-bodied invertebrates,
especially small land snails and slugs. They inject a paralyzing secretion
through their mandibles into their victim. The prey's tissues are dissolved
extraorally and the liquified mass is then imbibed by the larvae.
Adult fireflies do not eat and only live for a few days.
(Michael Rooke (information
courtesy of Rod Hobson)
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