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Blinks and Links to Fireflies

Blinks and Links

An introduction to fireflies and related topics as presented by Terry Lynch
Artist, Poet, Philosopher and Naturalist


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The courtship of Photinus pyralis, a large firefly which occurs in the southeastern United States, frequently results in an orgy with numerous males attempting to copulate with a female. This behavior which occurs in nature can easily be duplicated and observed by placing males and females inside a jar. In nature males could easily fly away in search of other females, which they often do, but sometimes a number of males will remain in the presence of the female even after she has copulated, probably as a result of her odor, which compels the males to attempt to mate. For additional pictures of fireflies and their larvae visit the Photinus pyralis Gallery.

A fascination for fireflies illuminates a young mind

Light Dance of the Firefly

What is that glowing orb
Which flickers through the night
Bobbing oh so bright,
Bringing wonder to the woods,
Magic to the meadow,
Sparkle and delight
To all children's eyes?

Why it's the courtship dance
Of the fireflies
Flashing in synchrony,
Their signaling a song
Played in light
As crickets do
Chirp in tune.

TAL
1 March 1999

I began my studies of fireflies and other insects while in high school, reading every article related to fireflies that I could get my hands on and conducting observations in my backyard laboratory. By 1968 I had learned much from these mason jar experiments and my curiosity was so sparked that this led my visiting with Dr. John Bonner Buck at the National Institutes of Health in Betheda Maryland. Dr. Buck was one of the first people to make scientific studies of fireflies, trying to determine how they could flash in synchrony. In his youth he also studied Photinus pyralis, a species of firefly I was most interested in, given it occurred throughout the southeastern U.S. and was the species most easily collected in my backyard.

My early studies of fireflies included repeating with Photinus pyralis the classic experiment by the French physiologist, Raphael Dubois, into the nature of bioluminescence. This experiment sparked my curiosity and I later made a number of original observations and discoveries related to the species Photinus pyralis.

My early firefly studies and observations are reviewed in Firefly Notebooks: Techniques with respect to the collection, observation and rearing of the firefly P. pyralis and Photuris with notes upon the feeding behavior of Photinid and Photuris larvae and the implications these contrasting behaviors have on evolution of the species in fireflies.

I was the first person to observe that the adults of P. pyralis exhibits two distinct preflight behaviors: a rest position and an alert position. I also developed a method for collecting and rearing P. pyralis from the egg stage through the first instar larvae stage. I believe I was the first person to note that diethyl ether could be used to enhance and increase the duration of the glow of very small young larvae to enable their easy collection. I also discovered that the life span of P. pyralis could be extended feeding the adults beetles a honey/water mixture.

In 1968-69, I also observed the effect upon spider venom upon the flashing of P. pyralis when this species was captured by a wolf spider Lycosa sp. At least in some cases these big, nocturnal hunting spiders don't seem to be effected either by the flashing of P. pyralis or the taste of its milky white blood, which has been recorded by Thomas Eisner of Cornell University to repel some predators, particularly daylight active jumping spiders. I suspect the apparent immunity of some nocturnal spiders to the the repellant nature of lucibafagins may be an evolutionary characteristic expressed by spiders because it is at least as advantageous to the survival of these spiders as it is for Photinus to avoid becoming spider food.

While visiting briefly with Dr. Buck in 1968, he showed me my first living railroad worms and encouraged me to seek out Dr. James E. Lloyd at the University of Florida which I did in 1970. I spent a few months at the Department of Entomology and Nematology where Dr. Lloyd taught courses in entomology and audited his Entomology 101 course. During this short period I labored to collect and rare fireflies but found this to be a daunting task, given little was known about the diet of young firefly larvae. Because I was not in an economically stable situation, I had to interrupt these early studies.

However my interest in fireflies and luminescent animals has not waned. Rather it has matured through time. Over the years I've had the opportunity to teach myself much about entomology and insect behavior in general, having read and studied widely upon the subject of insect communication and firefly behavior. Because I've studied fireflies from the perspective of an amateur naturalist rather than an academic professional, I bring a different perspective to the arena. That is to say the romance and poetry associated with these marvelous insects interests me as much as the mysteries associated with their courtship behavior.

Some of my most recent work with P. pyralis is presented in Firefly Mysteries Revelations related to the egg, embryo, early instar and behavior of Photinus pyralis larvae with respect to gregarious feeding behavior, vivisection of host food via digestive enzymes, interring of earthworms and proof larvae use eyes and lanterns to form aggregates. This report includes photographs of P. pyralis and presents original research detailing rearing techniques and aspects of P. pyralis larvae behavior never before sited in the scientific literature. A challenge for investigators is offered with emphasis on the role firefly larvae may play in research into the genetic key codes which link and differentiate flash pattern to species.

Having reviewed much of the scientific literature written upon fireflies, I have an intimate knowledge of these insects. Because no degrees or professional jealousies are attached to my studies I may relate them in an open, free, noncompetitive manner, my purpose in doing so only to inspire other young naturalist to study fireflies. Given I am a web master with a certain love for firefly studies, I'm endeavoring to create a firefly world upon the Internet which may help educate and motivate other young entomologists and amateur scientists

I have also had occasion to dabble somewhat in the study of aphids, crickets, cockroaches, flies and other insects. One of my most interesting observation is that of alate Drosophila melanogaster and its response to acceleration. In genetics laboratories the vestigial variety of this fly is reared because it can not so easily escape into the laboratory. Hence these flightless fruit flies with their partially formed wings are the most commonly studied varieties. Yet I reared and studied the alate, wild variety, keeping a culture going for well over a year in my kitchen so I might observe their mating behavior and experiment with various culture media. I was most impressed by the reaction of these flies to a sudden acceleration. See Application of Torque to Induced Simultaneous Flight Response and Synchrony in Drosophila sp.

The winged Drosophila, reared in mass, exhibit a synchronous response to change in motion. It appears to be acceleration, not perception of motion (as a hand waving to alert the resting flies), which causes these flies to jump and fly. When a mason jar containing several thousand alate Drosophila is suddenly rotated the fruit flies leap in synchrony to the sudden induced torque. This is a case where a synchronous response results because each individual responds to the same physical perception of a change in force. It may be similar in nature to the response of individual fireflies tending to blink in unison to the same physical perception of light flashing which then results in the synchronous blinking of individuals in mass.

Synchrony in fireflies is the result of a physical stimulus, the perception of a light flash, and then a response, in this case a flash of light. Although it may seem difficult to understand how a mass of fireflies can blink in synchrony, it becomes easier to understand when one observes that each individual initially responds by blinking in response to another's flash. Obviously as each individual joins a flashing group, you end up with a mass of synchronous flashing fireflies. Seeing a mass of Drosophila melanogaster exhibit a synchronous response is what made me realize synchronicity in fireflies was nothing more than such a basic stimulus-response reaction which takes upon its own majesty and mystery when observed in mass!

Although the stimulus-response reaction in fireflies may be somewhat more complicated, given it involves interplay between individuals, it is basically the same type of stimulus-response observed in its most basic form in alate Drosophila responding in mass to change in torque. What is most interesting about this observation of basic synchrony is that it may be easily repeated and observed by anyone who takes the time to rare wild fruit files. Hence it is an observation that may be enjoyed and shared with any group of students studying entomology or animal behavior. In fact it is a lot easier to observe the synchronous response of Drosophila to change in torque, than to fly to Bangkok to observe fireflies blinking in synchrony in the mangroves.

I invite you to explore these links and write to me if you find this site useful. I am especially interested in hearing from anyone who is actively conducting work with fireflies or other luminescent animals and may have articles or links I may add to this site. Also I would like to add links to pages related to insect communication or entomology and the natural sciences in general. If you have a web page dedicated to the natural sciences, let me know. Please reply to:

Terry Lynch.
4 March, 1999

Original Reports by T. A. Lynch


Click on photograph to visit the firefly gallery

Photinus pyralis I-instar larva is almost translucent when it first emerges from its egg case. This affords an excellent opportunity to photograph the young larvae and observe internal structures. To see more photographs visit the Firefly Gallery.

The Amateur Naturalist

The amateur naturalist is not an amateur in terms of skill or ability; rather, is one who loves the study of nature and all its many and beautiful natural life forms. As such an amateur naturalist is not motivated by profit so much as by curiosity. He or she who is an amateur naturalist is motivated by the joy of learning about the mysteries of our universe, its grandeur and wonder. The amateur naturalist studies nature for the same reason a mountain climber attains to the highest peak: because it is there!

In the future I will be posting experiments and observations for the amateur naturalist. These may include challenges and exercises for those who are interested in nature study. My goal here is to inspire other young people and hobbiest to learn from their first hand study of the natural universe. Links may also be provided to sites on the internet which explore or present some aspect of natural science study. Included may be art or literature which relates to or is inspired by observation of nature.

How you can help

If you are interested in the study of bioluminescence, the collection, study and rearing of bioluminescent species or have some expertise in these or related matters and would like to collaborate in future studies or share in correspondence please contact Terry Lynch. Also, if you like this site or have some comments, please sign the guestbook below. Thanks!

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Acknowledgements

This site was created using Hotdog. The background art was produced using Photo Suite III and is an enhancement of a firefly pic produced by Marc A. Branham who produced the Firefly Files site. Many of the Natural Science links were located using Yahoo, Google, Info Seek, Excite or other search engines. Special thanks to Cafepress.com for providing its on-line graphic reproduction and merchandising service. This site is best viewed with MS Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator. Blinks and Links, Project K9, EArts, USA News Links, Global Friendship Network, Go USA and The Amateur Naturalist by TAL are the copyright property of Electronic Arts and Terry Lynch.


Copyright © 1999 - 2003 by Terry Lynch. All Rights Reserved.