A defensive steroidal pyrone in the Glow‐worm<i> Lampyris noctiluca</i> L. (Coleoptera: Lampyridae)

Tyler, John G.; McKinnon, William; Lord, Gwyn A.; Hilton, P. J.

doi:10.1111/j.1365-3032.2007.00610.x

Cited by 25 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…It is common for several females to glow simultaneously within metres of one another. The adult sex ratio of glowworms is unity [14]. The glow is produced in the lantern, which covers the underside of the sixth and seventh segments of the female's abdomen as well as two spots on the eighth segment.…”

Section: Materials and Methods (A) Study Speciesmentioning

confidence: 99%

I'm sexy and I glow it: female ornamentation in a nocturnal capital breeder

et al. 2015

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In many species, males rely on sexual ornaments to attract females. Females, by contrast, rarely produce ornaments. The glow-worm ( Lampyris noctiluca ) is an exception where wingless females glow to attract males that fly in search of females. However, little is known about the factors that promote the evolution of female ornaments in a sexual selection context. Here, we investigated if the female ornament of the glow-worm is a signal of fecundity used in male mate choice. In support of this, we found brightness to correlate with female fecundity, and males to prefer brighter dummy females. Thus, the glow emitted by females is a reliable sexual signal of female fecundity. It is likely that male preference for the fecundity-indicating ornament has evolved because of large variation among females in fecundity, and because nocturnal males cannot directly assess female size and fecundity. These results indicate that female ornamentation may evolve in capital breeders (i.e. those in which stored resources are invested in reproduction) when females vary significantly in fecundity and this variation cannot be assessed directly by males.

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Section: Materials and Methods (A) Study Speciesmentioning

confidence: 99%

I'm sexy and I glow it: female ornamentation in a nocturnal capital breeder

et al. 2015

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“…Consumption of Photinus carolinus and Phausis reticulata by these diverse generalist predators remains somewhat surprising because firefly taxa have been shown to contain a variety of defensive steroidal pyrones collectively known as lucibufagins (LBGs). First isolated from Photinus ignitus and P. marginellus [5], LBGs have also been found in P. pyralis [26] and Lucidota atra [15], as well as in larvae of the European glow-worm, Lampyris noctiluca [27]. LBG deters predation by at least two generalist predators: Hylocichla thrushes [5] and Phidippus jumping spiders [6].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Dark Side of the Light Show: Predators of Fireflies in the Great Smoky Mountains

Lewis

Faust²,

Cock

2012

Psyche: A Journal of Entomology

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In the Great Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee, the Light Show is a popular seasonal attraction created by thousands of courting malePhotinus carolinusfireflies (Coleoptera: Lampyridae) that flash in synchrony to locate females. This study was undertaken to provide a temporal snapshot of whether invertebrate predators are active within these dense and conspicuous firefly breeding aggregations. In addition, we examined whether femalePhoturisfireflies, which are specialist predators on other fireflies, show any feeding preferences within the diverse local firefly fauna. A field survey revealed a surprisingly diverse suite of generalist insectivores feeding on fireflies withinP. carolinusbreeding aggregations. In addition, laboratory studies revealed major differences in prey consumption rates whenPhoturispredators were given access to several lampyrid taxa. This suite of generalist and specialist predators appears to create a complex selective landscape that is predicted to be a powerful force shaping the evolution of firefly defenses.

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“…In this context, the luminescence spectrum of LpLuc2 (λ max = 538 nm) is quite different from that of LpLuc1, thus the light due to Luc2 must be less bright to their own eyes and the role of Luc2 luminescence may not be in intraspecific communication. It is known that fireflies generally possess toxins and repellents such as lucibufagin and betaine to warn potential predators. Therefore, we think that the green bioluminescence generated by Luc2 during the immobile stages might have a role as an aposematism to warn off predators.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Identification and characterization of the Luc2‐type luciferase in the Japanese firefly, Luciola parvula, involved in a dim luminescence in immobile stages

Bessho-Uehara

Oba

2017

Luminescence

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Nocturnal Japanese fireflies, Luciola parvula, emit from their lanterns a yellow light, one of the most red-shifted colors found among fireflies. Previously, we isolated and characterized two different types of luciferase gene, Luc1 and Luc2, from the fireflies Luciola cruciata and Luciola lateralis; Luc1 is responsible for the green-yellow luminescence of larval and adult lanterns, whereas Luc2 is responsible for the dim greenish glow of eggs and pupal bodies. The biological role of firefly lanterns in adults is related to sexual communication, but why the eggs and pupae glow remains uncertain. In this study, we isolated the gene Luc2 from L. parvula, and compared its expression profiles and enzymatic characteristics with those of Luc1. A semi-quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction showed that Luc1 was predominantly expressed in larvae, prepupae, pupae and adults, whereas Luc2 was expressed in eggs, prepupae, pupae and adult females. Enzymatic analyses showed that the luminescent color of Luc1 matches the visual sensitivity of L. parvula eyes, whereas that of Luc2 is very different from it. These results suggest that the biological role of Luc2 expressed in immobile stages is not intraspecific communication.

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A defensive steroidal pyrone in the Glow‐worm Lampyris noctiluca L. (Coleoptera: Lampyridae)

Cited by 25 publications

References 13 publications

I'm sexy and I glow it: female ornamentation in a nocturnal capital breeder

I'm sexy and I glow it: female ornamentation in a nocturnal capital breeder

The Dark Side of the Light Show: Predators of Fireflies in the Great Smoky Mountains

Identification and characterization of the Luc2‐type luciferase in the Japanese firefly, Luciola parvula, involved in a dim luminescence in immobile stages

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