Fireflies are a type of insect that can emit light that is clearly visible at night. This light is generated by "cold rays" that contain no ultraviolet or infrared light and has a wavelength of 510 to 670 nanometers, with pale red, yellow, or green, with an efficiency of up to 96%.
Fireflies belong to the Lampyridae family, which is a family of Coleoptera beetles. There are over 2000 species of fireflies, which can be found in the four seasons and tropical regions of the world. Many of these species are found in wetlands or wet forests where there is plenty of food available for the larvae.
Fireflies, which emit light to recognize each other or to mate, use different wavelengths of light, depending on the species. In addition, in some species, the male firefly first shines the light to attract the female, while in the other species, the female "summons." Some fireflies use their light to defend themselves. They emit a light as a sign to the enemy that they are not a delicious meal.
For the fireflies of the Photuris group, their light plays a role in hunting. This type of female can mimic the flicker of light signals emitted by other types of females, such as Photuris. With these false light signals, the male firefly type Photuris was trapped and eaten by the female Photuris.
The light fireflies also serve as a warning sign, to warn people of the same kind about threats of danger, as well as warnings for insects and birds of prey so as not to eat them. Therefore, the trigger substance of the formation of light fireflies taste bitter. Even if there is a desperate predator insect, they usually eat the body of fireflies from the head, continue down to the back, except the stomach that is not eaten.
