19-12-2020 MONTE CORONA, VALENCIA - MEDITERRANEAN PALE GLOW-WORM CATERPILLAR (Nyctophila reichii)

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 firefly is a small beetle, typically measuring 15-18 mm for the male and up to 4 cm for the female. Its body coloration is predominantly black or brown.

These organisms exhibit significant sexual dimorphism, with females tending to have a morphology more similar to that of larvae, while males have a more classic beetle shape.

Females, therefore, are flightless, although they have vestigial wings and have an elongated shape. They are characterized by the ability to generate a large amount of greenish light in the ventral region of the last three abdominal segments. Furthermore, they can expose more of the bioluminescent region by twisting the terminal area of ​​their body.

Males, on the other hand, have a more classic beetle shape, with elytra that cover the entire abdomen and membranous wings that allow flight. Their pronotum is wide, light-colored, with a reddish spot on its surface, and conceals well-developed eyes for detecting the bioluminescence of females. It's worth noting that, unlike other fireflies, these males are not capable of generating bioluminescence.

6-2-2020 MONTE CORONA, VALENCIA - MEDITERRANEAN PALE GLOW-WORM CATERPILLAR (Nyctophila reichii)

16-12-2019 LES FOIS, VALENCIA - MEDITERRANEAN PALE GLOW-WORM CATERPILLAR (Nyctophila reichii)

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.

30-1-2017 MONTE CORONA, VALENCIA - MEDITERRANEAN PALE GLOW-WORM CATERPILLAR (Nyctophila reichii)

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.

Nyctophila reichii, the Mediterranean glow-worm, characterized by its orange

yellowish tone, is the species most recorded from both sources of information. 

We identified 95 larvae, 34 males and 25 females (including the 6 records that show both males and females). This species shows a clear Mediterranean and Southern distribution, with no records in the Northern provinces except one from Galicia (Spanish region north of Portugal).

The biology and phenology of this species is still unknown. Data of the survey allow us to show some phenological patterns for the period 2004-2010. Adult males and females were seen from late May until late July (Table 2). Despite the data it is still insufficient to draw conclusions about the relationship between latitude and day of adult emergence, the later records (second fortnight of July) correspond to the northern provinces of Spain. 

Larvae were found during the whole year across all of Spain, even during 

months when adults are present (June and July), although in lower numbers 

compared to the previous and subsequent months. The latter pattern may 

indicate a two year life-cycle as reported for other lampyrid species, i.e. L. 

noctiluca (Tyler, 2002). 

Males and females were often found in groups sometimes more than 200 

individuals within a 40m2 patch of riverside forest, or more than twelve males.