The female then lays a cluster of eggs underground, curls around them for a year. Strangely, the females keep the appearance as a larva (they call it a “larviform” species) whereas the males mature into a beetle form. Tags naturenotes naturenotes nature scetv.org
Bioluminescent Railroad Worm Photograph by Danté Fenolio
Most species live south of the rio grande.
Railroad worm is a common term used to reference several different insects including beetles of the phrixothrix genus.
Glowworm beetles are in the glowworm beetle family phengodidae, a new world family of about 250 species with representatives living from the southern edge of canada all the way to chile. Females are seen more often than males, so keep a sharp eye out for them. Railroad worms generally glow green throughout their bodies while their heads may produce a redish glow. Though i kept this gal in a jar until after dark, she wouldn’t glow.
As the name indicates, these larvae are bioluminescent, and had you had the opportunity to view this railroad worm in the dark , you would have been treated to a light show.
This is a railroad worm, the larva of a glowworm beetle in the family phengodidae and probably in the genus phengodes because of its similarity to this image posted on bugguide. Antennae are three segmented with one pair of stemmata (single lens, simple eyes) on each side of the head. Phengodidae) are the only beetle luciferases that naturally produce true red bioluminescence. The luciferases of the railroad worm phrixotrix (coleoptera:
These adult females are able to produce light from paired photic organs located on each body segment (one.
The group did not yet know how red light was produced naturally by railroad worm luciferase, however, and has now shown how the phenomenon occurs in this species of beetle. Actually, this could be a female, which are larviform (yeah neoteny!). While most bioluminescent beetles have a yellow or green glow, one, known as the railroad worm, also produces a red light. The male, while not luminous.
This beetle family (as defined by lawrence.
Phengodidae) 2 larvae the last larval instar range in size from15 to 65mm in length. That’s a “railroad worm,” also known as a “glowworm,” also known, most precisely, as phrixothrix hirtus. The males look like typical beetles, but the females have no wings and look similar to the larvae. This is the larva of a glowworm beetle, commonly called a railroad worm because of its ability to glow green in the dark as an example of bioluminescence.
They are vermiform (cylindrical with short legs) and have a prognathous (pointing forward) head.
Often the males of these species won’t be in larvae form, instead are adult beetles. We believe your individual is in the genus phengodes based on bugguide images. Railroad worms are actually the larvae of female railroad worm beetles, and yes, they do glow. This specimen is an adult female.
Does possess wings for convenient conveyance— not something i'd want.
Female glowworms can be seen on the surface of the ground after a good summer rain. A species of glowworm beetle, the railroad beetle gets its name from the bioluminescence “windows” it has on its body. Spots on this bioluminescent beetle larva look like lights from a train window at night. It has the appearance of a caterpillar.
The males have very elaborate, antennae, which they.
Gardens, hedgerows, railway embankments, woodland rides, heathlands and. A railroad worm is a larva, or larviform, female adult of a beetle of the genus phrixothrix in the family phengodidae, characterized by the possession of two different colors of bioluminescence.
