(Image: /Courtesy of Kahmann Gallery)
WANT to know the difference between a firefly and a glow-worm? First, they aren’t flies or worms – both of them are beetles. In some species, only the larvae or females glow, and these wingless individuals are known as glow-worms. In other species, males and females both have wings and emit a luminescent display – these are called fireflies, or lightning bugs.
The insects shot here by Belgian photographer are fireflies in the in Tennessee. The pictures are part of a sequence of work under the name Godspeed – an expression used by one of the forest rangers she spent time with.
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In this species (Photinus carolinus) the light show is particularly remarkable because the males – sometimes thousands at a time – synchronise their flashes. In the dark pause between flashes, the females reply with their own, dimmer signals.
Why do females have weaker lights? Because they don’t need to show off: the males will come to them. When they see a female’s light – a literal green light of consent – males swarm around her, flashing wildly. When a pair are joined, they fly away to finish off in peace.
This article appeared in print under the headline “Flashing for sex”
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