螢火蟲!關(guān)于螢火蟲你不知道的6件事

螢火蟲!關(guān)于螢火蟲你不知道的6件事

Fireflies are at their most dazzling on a summer evening. (Photo: Thanatip S./Shutterstock)

There are many wonders to behold in the animal world, but few offer such enchantment as that of a summer evening punctuated with the twinkle of fireflies. It's a singular experience, like handfuls of Lilliputian stars tossed from the sky, falling to flit and hover among the grass and brambles. But behind their charming facade, fireflies are fascinating little insects. Consider the following facts:

動物世界有許多奇觀可看，但很少有像夏夜被螢火蟲的閃光所吸引。這是一種奇特的體驗(yàn)，就像一把把小人國的星星從天空中拋下，落在草地和荊棘之間，又飛又停。但在它們迷人的外表下，螢火蟲是迷人的小昆蟲。考慮以下事實(shí):

1.They are beetles, not flies

它們是甲蟲，不是蒼蠅

Fireflies are nocturnal members of Lampyridae, a family of insects within the beetle order Coleoptera, or winged beetles. Yes, they are officially beetles. But we’re OK with the misnomer; And bonus fact: the family name, Lampyridae comes from the Greek "lampein," meaning to shine … just like a lamp.

螢火蟲是夜間活動的Lampyridae的成員，Lampyridae是甲蟲目鞘翅目昆蟲的一個科，也叫有翅甲蟲。是的，它們是真正的甲蟲。但是我們可以接受這個錯誤的稱呼;還有一個額外的事實(shí):Lampyridae這個姓氏來自希臘語“lampein”，意思是發(fā)光……就像一盞燈。

2.They are alchemists, poetically speaking at least

它們是煉金術(shù)士，至少在詩歌上是這樣

While they don’t actually turn base metals into gold, they do create light as if by magic. When a chemical called luciferin (note the same Latin root as Lucifer) inside their abdomen/tail combines with oxygen, calcium and adenosine triphosphate, a chemical reaction occurs that creates their spectacular light.

雖然它們實(shí)際上并沒有把普通金屬變成黃金，但它們確實(shí)像變魔術(shù)一樣創(chuàng)造了光。當(dāng)一種叫做熒光素的化學(xué)物質(zhì)(與熒光素的拉丁詞根相同)在它們的腹部/尾部與氧氣、鈣和三磷酸腺苷結(jié)合時，就會發(fā)生一種化學(xué)反應(yīng)，產(chǎn)生壯觀的光。

Firefly light is incredibly efficient. (Photo: terry priest/flickr)

3.They come in a rainbow of colors

它們有彩虹般的顏色

Well maybe not the whole spectrum, but they do come in yellow, light red, green and orange.

也許不是所有的光譜，但是它們有黃色，淺紅色，綠色和橙色。

4.They light up the underworld

它們照亮了地下世界

While it's true that many an insect larvae lives underground, firefly babes have them beat in the "neat tricks" department; some species emit a subterranean glow. Among some species, even the eggs glow. Bizarre, right?

雖然許多昆蟲的幼蟲生活在地下是事實(shí)，螢火蟲寶寶在“巧妙的把戲”方面打敗了它們;有些物種會發(fā)出一種地下光。在一些物種中，甚至蛋也會發(fā)光，很奇怪對吧?

Fireflies are simply elegant by day, but apparently, they are not very tasty. (Photo: wplynn/flickr)

5.Some are aquatic

有些生活在水中

And then there are the freaky fireflies whose larvae live in the water; they have gills and sup on aquatic snails, before inching their way to terra firma for their next phase in life.

還有一些奇怪的螢火蟲，它們的幼蟲生活在水中;它們有鰓，以水生蝸牛為食，然后緩慢地走向陸地，進(jìn)入生命的下一個階段。

6.They have strange diets

它們的飲食很奇怪

Contrary to the storybook image of cute bitsy baby fireflies nibbling on flowers, the underground-dwelling larvae of the lightning bug are carnivorous and feast on slimy slugs, worms and snails. Once they grow up, some move on to cannibalism and eat other fireflies, but most subsist on pollen and nectar (while some don’t eat anything at all during their short lifetimes).

與童話故事中可愛的小螢火蟲啃花的形象相反，螢火蟲幼蟲是食肉動物，以黏糊糊的蛞蝓、蠕蟲和蝸牛為食。一旦它們長大了，有些會繼續(xù)同類相食，吃掉其他螢火蟲，但大多數(shù)以花粉和花蜜為生(而有些則在它們短暫的一生中什么都不吃)。

Most fireflies live on pollen and nectar. (Photo: Courtney A Denning/Shutterstock)