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A small beetle, the common eastern firefly (Photinus pyralis), is perched on the end of a finger. It produces a series of bright yellowish-green flashes from its lower abdomen, before spreading its wings and taking flight.

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A small beetle, the common eastern firefly (Photinus pyralis), is perched on the end of a finger. It produces a series of bright yellowish-green flashes from its lower abdomen, before spreading its wings and taking flight.

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Wonder of Science (wonderofscience@mastodon.social)'s status on Saturday, 25-Nov-2023 09:59:56 JST Wonder of Science

Fireflies produce a "cold light" without infrared or ultraviolet frequencies using special organs in their abdomen where the enzyme luciferase binds to luciferin in the presence of oxygen, magnesium ions, and ATP.
Video credit: Atomic Tangerine / CC BY 3.0

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