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As fireworks hail the new decade, lights that have traditionally illuminated warm evenings around the planet are dimming. Fireflies are disappearing at an alarming rate.
These winged beetles, sometimes called lightning bugs, comprise more than 2,000 species. Their luminescence seems linked to two evolutionary goals: (1) Warning predators to expect a bitter or sometimes toxic shock should the illuminated warning not be heeded. (2) A means of mating advertisement and communication with all the subtlety of strip-club neon.
Though consensus has not been reached, scientists suspect that pesticides, habitat loss and light pollution are possible causes of the dramatic dimming that is occurring. Development is increasingly encroaching upon areas critical to these fiery beetles. This disrupts the ecosystems the beetles depend upon for food and shelter. The brighter conditions brought by man also dims the wattage of the flies making it harder for mating pairs to find one another.
For more info on this dwindling glimmer you may visit the following sites that are actively engaged in keeping count of these sentries of night light:
http://mos.org/fireflywatch
http://galaxypix.com/glowworms
http://burger.com/firefly.htm
Sources: National Geographic Magazine
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