1, morphological characteristics
Fireflies are about 0.8 cm long, flat and slender, with a small head, soft body walls and coleopters, and a large bra covering the head. The antenna of male worm is long, 1 1 node, flat or serrated; There are 6~7 webbed abdomen, with luminous body at the end, which can emit fluorescence; Most males have wings. Female insects have no wings, their bodies are bigger than those of male insects, and they can't fly, but their fluorescence is brighter than that of male insects.
2. Biography
Fireflies belong to complete metamorphosis. They go through four stages: egg larvae and pupae adults. Aquatic fireflies usually complete in four months 1 generation, and 1 year has two generations. Terrestrial fireflies, on the other hand, need 1 year to complete 1 generation. Larvae need to molt 6 times from hatching to pupation, and the pupation duration varies from species to species, up to more than 40 days. The life span of adults in the field is generally 3-7 days, but some of them are as long as 20-30 days.
3. Luminous principle
The glow of fireflies is a bioluminescence. The luminous principle of fireflies is that fireflies have special luminous cells, and there are two chemicals in the luminous cells, one is called fluorescein and the other is called luciferase. Fluorescein can consume ATP under the catalysis of luciferase and react with oxygen to produce stimulated oxidized fluorescein, which releases photons when it returns to the ground state.
Biological significance of luminescence
Biological significance of luminescence: Adults use species-specific flashing signals to locate and attract the opposite sex, thus completing the mission of courtship, mating and reproduction. A few fireflies use the flashing signal to prey, which is also used as a warning signal, that is, fireflies glow when stimulated.
Baidu Encyclopedia-Firefly