Distremocephalus sp. - male glow worm
Phengodidae
Arizona, USA
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The beetle family Phengodidae is odd any way you look at it. The adult
female (not pictured) is larviform, which means she never loses her grub-like
appearance as she grows into sexual maturity. She has no wings and no long
antennae. But she does bioluminesce, and that gives the family their common
name: Glow-worms. In stark contrast to their grubby counterparts,
male phengodids (as shown here) are delicate creatures, adapted for dispersal
and mating.
This image is copyrighted by the photographer and cannot be used without permission. To obtain permission to use this image, please email Alex Wild. (alwild (at) myrmecos.net). Most of the photographs on myrmecos.net are reduced from their original size and compressed for more efficient web transmission. In some cases, higher quality versions are available. This image was captured with a Canon EOS 20D, using a Canon MP-E 65mm 1-5x macro lens. |