Bioluminescent Railroad Worm #2
by Danté Fenolio
Title
Bioluminescent Railroad Worm #2
Artist
Danté Fenolio
Medium
Photograph - Photograph
Description
Beetles of the family Phengodidae are referred to collectively as railroad worms. The name comes from several South and Central American species that have greenish lights on their sides and orange or red lights at their ends looking like a train. The lights are photophores, producing natural light or bioluminescence. Female Phengodids never metamorphose into something that looks like a beetle, they remain in a larviform state. This means that they reach sexual maturity while still in a larval body form. Males do metamorphose into something that looks like a winged beetle with a moth's antennae. Larvae, larviform females, and males produce light from their photophores, or light producing organs. Males apparently have small light producing organs once in an adult form. Larvae and larviform females have numerous photophores spanning the length of their bodies. North American species don't produce orange or red light. These Phengodids were photographed in 2010 in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee.
Uploaded
June 12th, 2013
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