Pyrophorus noctilucus
Jamaican click beetle Pyrophorus noctilucus
Pyrophorus noctilucus from Argentina. Mounted specimen
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Coleoptera
Family: Elateridae
Subfamily: Agrypninae
Tribe: Pyrophorini
Genus: Pyrophorus
Species:
P. noctilucus
Binomial name
Pyrophorus noctilucus
Synonyms

Pyrophorus noctilucus, common name headlight elater, is a species of click beetle (family Elateridae).

Description

Pyrophorus noctilucus can reach a length of 20–40 millimetres (0.79–1.57 in). The basic coloration is dark brown. The antennae are serrate. The pronotum shows a long backward-pointing tooth.

These beetles are among the brightest bioluminescent insects.[1] With a brightness of around 45 millilamberts,[2] they are said to be technically bright enough to read by.[3] They achieve their luminescence by means of two light organs at the posterior corners of the prothorax, and a broad area on the underside of the first abdominal segment. Their bioluminescence is similar to that of another group of beetles, the fireflies, although click beetles do not flash, but remain constantly glowing (though they can control the intensity; for example, they become brighter when touched by a potential predator). Also the larvae and the pupae have light organs and the eggs are luminous too.

Adults feed on pollen, fermenting fruit and sometimes small insects, while the larvae live in the soil and feed on various plant materials and invertebrates, as well on the larvae of other beetles.

Distribution

This species can be found in Belize, Honduras, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Argentina, Cayman Islands, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Colombia, Venezuela, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Suriname, Brazil, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Texas, Hawaii, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Uruguay, and Florida.

References

  1. ↑ Levy, Hazel. "University of Florida Book of Insects". University of Florida. Archived from the original on 21 December 2008. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
  2. ↑ Harvey, E. N. and K. P. Stevens. 1928. The brightness of the light of the West Indian elaterid beetle, Pyrophorus. J. Gen. Physiol. 12: 269–272.
  3. ↑ Meerman, Jan. "Biodiversity in Belize - Some Invertebrates". Biological-Diversity.info. Retrieved 2021-06-19.
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