NATS 4215 Lecture Notes - Lecture 7: Nuptial Gift, Photuris, Biological Specificity
3 Mar 2017
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Document Summary
They are not actually flies, but beetles belonging to the beetle family lampyridae (also known as lightning bugs) Two of the main north american firefly genera: photinus and photuris. They are discrete signals: different species have different flight paths, different flash light patterns. Difference include: stronger lights, short bursts, altitudes may different. Fireflies may all live in the same area so each species develops its own pattern of flashing, different altitude, different flight paths. Fireflies = species recognition is based on species-specific sequences of flashes of light: each firefly species produces its own unique flash pattern, intraspecific interactions with conspecifics, within each species, male and female have different flash patterns. Female signal from the ground (females sometimes don"t even have wings, or are not interested in flying. These flash patterns (sequences of pulses of light of various durations and intensities) allow males and females belonging to the same firefly sp to find one another and communicate with each other.
