Nyctophila reichii, commonly known as the Mediterranean firefly, is a species of firefly. The species is very common in the southern and eastern part of the Iberian Peninsula.
The Mediterranean glowworm ( Nyctophila reichii ) is a species of beetle in the family Lampyridae .
It is one of the most common glowworms in the Mediterranean and southern Iberian Peninsula , where it lives in a wide variety of natural and semi-natural areas.
Adults are only observed between late May and late July. Larvae of this insect have been reported throughout the year, although they are less frequent during the months when adults are present. Like other members of the lampyridae family , the female Nyctophila reichii is capable of emitting light from the end of its abdomen, using it as a mating call .
There is a marked sexual dimorphism between the female and the male. Adult males have membranous wings for flight and highly developed elytra that cover the entire abdomen, while females are wingless and have very short elytra, making them similar to larvae, but with a predominantly straw-yellow color.
The larvae are elongated and black and divided into segments. This firefly feeds on gastropods, which it preys on in the larval stage; the adults do not feed, since they lack mouthparts. The larvae, after 6 to 8 moults, pupate under leaf litter, stones or pieces of bark.
Nyctophila reichii has been recorded in Spain, Portugal, France, Liechtenstein, Serbia, Montenegro, Greece and Turkey, presenting a notably disjunct distribution. In the Iberian Peninsula it has been observed mainly in the Mediterranean area, the south and the center, and is practically absent in the northern part.
