What kind of bug is this?

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jonjonsanfru

Golden Member
Feb 12, 2001
1,933
2
81
Lets see if i'm following right... a glow worm is the pupal stage of a firefly? so the thing i found will turn into a firefly in a few days, and is NOT going to crawl into my room and into my brain? And do all fireflies look basically the same? and will his color turn to yellow? if so, why?
 

CaptnKirk

Lifer
Jul 25, 2002
10,053
0
71
Not a Fly, and not a caterpillar, it has a hard back , segmented like a beetle.
Well, afterall, a Firefly really is a beetle.

There is some predatory beetle that lures Fireflies to it and eats them.

If I were a Firefly and saw that, I'd question getting a green light.
 

Ikonomi

Diamond Member
Dec 19, 2003
6,056
1
0
Originally posted by: Wallydraigle
Of course it's a firefly. All beetles are wingless before they pupate, fireflies are no exception. There are almost 150 species of fireflies in the world. This one is probably a young Luciola mingrelica.

This guy is so cool. OMFG. :thumbsup::D
 

OffTopic1

Golden Member
Feb 12, 2004
1,764
0
0

Glow-worms and fire-flies belong to a family of beetles called the Lampyridae.

The glow-worm derives its name from the remarkable ability to emit light, a characteristic shared by all members of the Lampyridae, and from the larviform (or worm-like) appearance of the wingless female. The male is a more typical beetle, being fully winged and able to fly. The female is larger than the male, often nearly twice his size
 

xSauronx

Lifer
Jul 14, 2000
19,582
4
81
Originally posted by: Mill
Am I the only person that calls them Lightning Bugs?

i did when i was a kid, dont remember when i started calling them fireflies instead though
 

Zenmervolt

Elite member
Oct 22, 2000
24,514
44
91
Originally posted by: xSauronx
Originally posted by: Mill
Am I the only person that calls them Lightning Bugs?

i did when i was a kid, dont remember when i started calling them fireflies instead though
They're still Lightning Bugs in Ohio. At least the part of Ohio in which I grew up.

ZV
 

OffTopic1

Golden Member
Feb 12, 2004
1,764
0
0
Originally posted by: xSauronx
Originally posted by: Mill
Am I the only person that calls them Lightning Bugs?

i did when i was a kid, dont remember when i started calling them fireflies instead though
As a kid I call them "dom dom", and would catch about 10 and put them in a glass jar to look at in the everning when I visit my grand parent farm in the summer.
 

EyeMWing

Banned
Jun 13, 2003
15,670
1
0
As a child, I had significant difficulty getting the damn things into the jar without squishing them between my hands and the side of the jar.
 

Mill

Lifer
Oct 10, 1999
28,558
3
81
Originally posted by: OffTopic
Originally posted by: xSauronx
Originally posted by: Mill
Am I the only person that calls them Lightning Bugs?

i did when i was a kid, dont remember when i started calling them fireflies instead though
As a kid I call them "dom dom", and would catch about 10 and put them in a glass jar to look at in the everning when I visit my grand parent farm in the summer.

I did the exact same thing. I'd put them in the glass jar, a couple wouldn't survive the trauma, and I'd let the rest out before my Grandparents went to bed at the ungodly hour of 9PM.
 

alien42

Lifer
Nov 28, 2004
12,869
3,299
136
Originally posted by: xSauronx
Originally posted by: Mill
Am I the only person that calls them Lightning Bugs?

i did when i was a kid, dont remember when i started calling them fireflies instead though

same here, grew up in southern illinois and call them both.
 

mobobuff

Lifer
Apr 5, 2004
11,099
1
81
Originally posted by: Mill
Am I the only person that calls them Lightning Bugs?

No, in real life that's what I call them, I was just saying "firefly" for the sake of this thread.
 

jaysgirl

Senior member
Apr 8, 2005
563
0
0
The firefly is Pennsylvania's state insect. Why do I retain such useless information from second grade?
 

mwtgg

Lifer
Dec 6, 2001
10,491
0
0
Originally posted by: jaysgirl
The firefly is Pennsylvania's state insect. Why do I retain such useless information from second grade?

Because it's typical that people remember useless information while the important stuff is never remembered... or second grade was last year. ;)

Nice to see another Pennsylvanian. Where are you at in this grand state?
 

Iron Woode

Elite Member
Super Moderator
Oct 10, 1999
31,309
12,824
136
Originally posted by: jonjonsanfru
So a firefly doesn't nessecarily have to "fly"? this guy has no wings, and the fireflies i remember had a yellowish glow. i was trying to take multiple angles, but the camera just wouldn't focus right... but he's a walker with a plated like back.
congrats, you found the larva of a firefly; aka glow worm.