What the fireflies taught me

Dr. Nandkumar Kamat

Asst. Professor, Dept. of Botany, Goa University, Taleigao, Goa, India
nandkamat@gmail.com

September 5 is teachers’ day. I am devoting this day to a humble and academically, scientifically
neglected creature of the night-the fireflies. Fireflies are my teachers at night. For past three months
I have been obediently following them to understand something about their ecology, biology and
biophotonics. I have already established an intimate material and ecologically profound spiritual or
ecospiritual connection with this ephemeral bioluminescent community. Material in the sense of
photographing them, collecting and studying them in the field and in our laboratories. Spiritual in
the sense that whenever I wish I see them and they permit me to explore them. One of my most
pleasant experiences was when a swarm of fireflies entered our house from an open window at
midnight and filled the room and illuminated the lime coated walls with their unearthly eerie
greenish glow. It was a spiritual experience because the swarm had appeared after I had complained
to my wife that I couldn’t’ see many fireflies during this season and did not know where they were
hiding. When I showed her the swarm she thought that I was becoming superstitious. But she
agreed that nature has its’ own way to reveal her secrets- may be serendipitously. As for scientific
records of the fireflies I was inspired by the initiative of Museum of Science, Boston, USA which
has an active global firefly watch programme. Readers can visit and see their website-
https://www.mos.org/fireflywatch/ and join the movement. Another interesting website is
http://www.firefly.org/ where I have sent my firefly photographs. I have kept records of firefly
sightings since May 2001. Earliest firefly sightings were done on May 21, 2001. This year the first
fireflies were seen on May 29 th. The last firefly sightings were done on November 22, 2001. But
this span is getting reduced because since 2002 I had not seen fireflies after October 15 th. Perhaps
due to abundant rainfall this year this span may get extended. I identified two species-Photuris and
Photinus. The herbaceous vegetation of Goa University campus is an ideal habitat for fireflies. With
a few intense pre-monsoon showers the fireflies appear, first sporadically and then as rains intensify
in large numbers. Between August to September end their number is maximum and if dry
conditions set in then there are less sightings. Ms. Gloria from Illinois, Chicago has given this
information on firefly life cycle which I attempted to record this season. The corresponding
videoclips which I made are available on You Tube. Gloria found that adult female fireflies lay their
eggs in moist soil or moss (depending on species). A few weeks later the larvae emerge. They live
in moist soil or beneath decaying organic litter from one to three years eating slugs, worms and soft
bodied insect larvae first biting the creature releasing saliva that turns the prey’s soft inner tissue
into liquid. In late spring larvae pupate underground assuming their adult form. When the weather
warms or to circadian like cycles not yet understood, the adult emerges to mate. This is the part of
the life cycle of fireflies many recognize.” She has also given reasons why fireflies are diminishing
in USA and these are lessons for our own university campus managers and nature lovers. According
to Ms. Gloria-“There appear to be several reasons why firefly populations tend to decline in any
given area. Average temperature and rain fall amounts , pesticide usage, artificial lighting along
streets and the outside of homes, amount of organic litter and loss of habitat including the expanses
of lawn where female firefly can not lay eggs, all influence firefly survival. There is also some
evidence that firefly populations do not move away from where they started life so that local
populations once lost completely do not recover on their own.” My videoclips are self explanatory
and cover both the adult and larval stages of fireflies. The weblinks are given here-
Photinus firefly on dry ground
http://www.youtube.com/user/nandkamat#p/u/41/ZI-ArbbaFjg
Unidentified caterpillar bioluminescence
http://www.youtube.com/user/nandkamat#p/u/43/42xUPjLUTpM
Photinus firefly in a grassland
http://www.youtube.com/user/nandkamat#p/u/65/g3TnSaui5w8
World's first ecofriendly light and sound show
http://www.youtube.com/user/nandkamat#p/u/84/huG7Odk_K68
natural habitat of Photuris firefly
http://www.youtube.com/user/nandkamat#p/u/85/jZ2DFXcpuY4
Photinus firefly on vegetation at night
http://www.youtube.com/user/nandkamat#p/u/102/aLaC9TdbPe4
March of Photinus larva
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHZtc-00-os
Nocturnal foraging by Photinus firefly larva
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MgbJb2s741g
Reflex bioluminescence
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9R3ASof2FIQ
Experiment to demonstrate bioluminescence reflex
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSLfuFXOvvM
Bioluminiscence as natural defense in firefly
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUXUTkp35tk
Strong bilateral bioluminescence
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNT7fTKYt0g
Photinus larva in lab during daytime in bright light
http://www.youtube.com/user/nandkamat#p/a/u/1/wzAde8Tvep0
A composite viewing of these would convince you why I consider fireflies as my teachers. The
adult fireflies taught me something about biophotonics and ecological adaptation. Firefly luciferase
has been used in molecular biology as reporter gene. The green fluorescent protein from jelly fish
got a scientist a Nobel award. The adults avoid zones of bright light. The larvae are ecologically and
genetically preprogrammed to feign immobility and produce bioluminescence on stimulation
indicating natural defense in action. It is a beautiful system of composite defense. If ticked the
larvae pretend to be dead. They appear as stiff as dead twigs. Fireflies also revealed to me that it is
not correct to burn or destroy the garden litter and create artificial fires in grasslands. It is criminal
to use herbicides and pesticides to eliminate grasses and vegetation. This would destroy the firefly
larvae and pupa stages. Soil is ultimate reservoir of life. Everything returns back to the soil. But
everywhere we are disturbing, contaminating, poisoning it. Fireflies taught me that knowledge is
not just confined to textbooks. Nature is the ultimate repository of knowledge, the supreme teacher.
Fireflies showed me another dimension of knowledge-even the darkness of night hides information
unknown to us-useful in biology, chemistry and biotechnology.
Direct all queries to nandkamat@gmail.com