What Is A Lightning Bug Look Like

The lampyridae are a family of insects in the beetle order coleoptera with more than 2 000 described species.

What is a lightning bug look like.

They re actually the largest group of animals on earth. That means that lightning bugs are actually a type of beetle. Fireflies produce a cold light with no infrared or ultraviolet frequencies. Adult lightning bugs who can live for several months probably feed on plant nectar.

Ah this is a good question. First let s make sure we re on the same page. That s not surprising since there are more than 350 000 known species of beetles. They are soft bodied beetles that are commonly called fireflies glowworms or lightning bugs for their conspicuous use of bioluminescence during twilight to attract mates or prey.

A sowbug is actually a land dwelling crustacean with a multiple segmented body about to inch long. Some sowbugs are called pillbugs or roly polies because they roll up into balls when threatened. Some adult soldier beetles resemble adult lightning bugs while sowbugs or pillbugs look like lightning bug larvae. You might be thinking that lightning bugs don t look like the types of beetles you ve seen before.

Lightning bug larvae one of which is shown at the right have sickle shaped mandibles with which they can inject a kind of chemical that paralyzes their prey and helps digest it. Lighntning bug larvae look like sowbugs which are not even insects. Several larvae have been seen attacking large prey together. These are beetles in the family lampyridae which use a chemical reac.

Description of a lightning bug an adult lightning bug photinus spp is a winged beetle that measures 7 16 to 9 16 inch long.