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Dinesh

Dinesh club

Posted: 11 Jul 2022

Taken: 10 Jul 2022

2 favorites     1 comment    37 visits

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Excerpt •
The Descent of Man •
Charles Darwin •
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Lampyridae

Lampyridae
www.youtube.com/watch?v=33-3UCTRZWM

Erhard Bernstein, Paolo Tanino have particularly liked this photo

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 Dinesh
Dinesh club
The use of the bright light of the female glow-worm has been subject to much discussion. The male is freely luminous, as are the larvae and even the eggs. It has been supposed by some authors that the light serves to frighten away enemies, and by others to guide the male to the female. At last, Mr. Belt appears to have solved the difficulty: he finds that all the Lampyridae which has been tried are highly distasteful to insectivorous mammals and birds. Hence it is in accordance with Mr. Bates’ view, hereafter to be explained, that many insects mimic the Lampyridae closely, in order to be mistaken for them, and thus to escape destruction. He further believes that the luminous species profit by being at once recognized as unpalatable.. it is probable that the same explanation may be extended to the Elaters, both sexes of which are highly luminous. It is not known why the wings of the female glow-worm have not been developed; but in her present state she closely resembles a larva, and as larvae are so largely preyed on by many animals, we can understand why she has been rendered so much more luminous and conspicuous than the male; and why the larvae themselves are likewise luminous. ~ page 286
23 months ago. Edited 23 months ago.

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