| all
photos © Richard Bottle 2007 |
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| 4 August 2007 - we counted 21 glow-worms in the lanes around Priston. The female glow-worm produces light to attract males for mating. |
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| The
glow is generated from the last 3 segments of the flightless female
glow-worm., which contain a substance called luciferin, backed by a
layer
of light-reflecting crystals. The beetle controls the light
by
increasing or limiting the flow of oxygen to the luciferin-containing
layer, which in turn controls the rate of the breakdown of luciferin by
the enzyme luciferinase. Nearly all of the energy of the chemical
reaction is converted into light. The adult beetles take little or no food but the larvae seize small slugs and snails in their jaws and inject a digestive fluid which liquefies the prey ready for eating. For more information visit the UK Glow-worm Survey. See
the article
on the Twerton web-site based on this page.
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