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A female Glow Worm beetle glowing at sunset to attract a mate

Common glow-worm

Common glow-worms are actually bioluminescent beetles. It is the females which glow most noticeably - the larvae and adult males produce only a faint glow. The larvae are predatory and hunt slugs and snails, but as adults they rarely feed. Females have only a few weeks in which to attract a mate and lay eggs. After this, they die. As well as attracting a mate, the glowing abdomen is a warning to predators to stay away - glow-worms taste bad and contain chemicals that cause vomiting.

Scientific name: Lampyris noctiluca

Rank: Species

Common names:

  • European glow-worm,
  • Firefly glow-worm

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Distribution

The Common glow-worm can be found in a number of locations including: Asia, China, Europe, Indian subcontinent, Russia, United Kingdom, Wales. Find out more about these places and what else lives there.

Habitats

The following habitats are found across the Common glow-worm distribution range. Find out more about these environments, what it takes to live there and what else inhabits them.

Temperate grassland Temperate grassland
Temperate grasslands include the prairies of North America, the steppes of Russia and the pampas of Argentina. Summers here are mild to hot and the winters can sometimes be very cold – for instance, blizzards can blanket the great plains of the United States.

Behaviours

Discover what these behaviours are and how different plants and animals use them.

Additional data source: Animal Diversity Web

About

Lampyris noctiluca, the common glow-worm of Europe (see also "glowworm"), is a firefly species of the genus Lampyris. These are beetles, as evidenced by the hard cases which close over the wings when they are not in use.

Lampyris noctiluca presents a conspicuous sexual dimorphism. The males are winged, with brown elytra, a clearer pronotum and a large brown spot in the middle, while females are larviforme, wings are missing and they are often twice the size of the males (up to 25 millimetres or 1 inch in length).

These beetles use their bioluminescence to attract mates. The adult females are mostly famed for their glow, although all stages of their life cycle are capable of glowing.

In Britain, this species is fairly common compared to its cousin Phosphaenus hemipterus – the lesser glow worm – which is very rare.

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Classification

  1. Life
  2. Animals
  3. Arthropods
  4. Insects
  5. Beetles
  6. Fireflies
  7. Lampyris
  8. Common glow-worm

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