There is something interesting about fireflies because it can let out light. But do you know why fireflies can emit light ???
Maybe we often see fireflies fly in the middle of the night with their beautiful light. This is because fireflies use light emitted from their bodies to attract the attention of the opposite sex when it comes to mating season.
The Lampyridae are a family of insects in the beetle order Coleoptera. They are winged beetles, commonly called fireflies or lightning bugs for their conspicuous use of bioluminescence during twilight to attract mates or prey. Source
These animals breed in sexual ways, so they must find ways to attract partners. So the fireflies use the way by issuing flashes of light.
Scientific classification
Kingdom : Animalia
Phylum : Arthropoda
Class : Insecta
Order : Coleoptera
Suborder : Polyphaga
Infraorder : Elateriformia
Superfamily : Elateroidea
Family : Lampyridae
Latreille, 1817 Source
Both male and female fireflies can emit light. So when the mating season arrives, the males will begin to circle in certain areas to attract the attention of females. The males will begin to take out their light in the hope of being seen by the female and the female will be attracted to the male. And this is what the male always does when it comes to mating season.
Male and female firefly
Female fireflies will usually wait and the male firefly can attract the attention of the female, then the female will reply to the male by giving a light signal also indicates it is ready to make the process of mating.
Where does the light come out ??
The light emitted by fireflies is derived from the abdomen at the bottom. The light is produced by a small layer of cells called photocytes which consist of several layers of reflective cells that can emit greenish yellow light. And we need to know that inside this light-producing reflective cell there is an organelle called peroxizome.
A peroxisome is a type of organelle known as a microbody, found in virtually all eukaryotic cells. They are involved in catabolism of very long chain fatty acids, branched chain fatty acids, D-amino acids, and polyamines, reduction of reactive oxygen species – specifically hydrogen peroxide and biosynthesis of plasmalogens. Source
Inside the peroxizome there are chemicals in it that can produce light. Magnesium and ATP in peroxizome will react with luciferase and luciferin proteins. This combination process will create a highly unstable molecule and release its energy in the form of light photons.
So when the oxygen enters the mixture, the molecule will become stable again so that the light becomes extinguished. This is the process of how to remove the light from fireflies that I can expose may be useful for us all.
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