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July 16, 2014

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Home » Feature » Travel

Firefly enlightening search leads to sighting of city’s elusive bugs

By Li Anlan and Liu Xiaolin | July 16, 2014, Wednesday | Print Edition

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FIREFLIES have a magical appeal. Their lights glow like tiny yellow lanterns in the dark. The light is beautiful to watch.

And one does not need to travel far to see fireflies. They can be found in Shanghai.

I almost gave up hope of seeing some on an outing to Dianshan Lake in Qingpu District earlier this month with a guide from the Shanghai Wildlife Conservation Management Station.

After walking for nearly 30 minutes, someone in our group shouted, “Fireflies! In the grass over the pond.”

The rest of us quickly looked over the pond to the right while the waves of Dianshan Lake washed ashore to the left. A few cars rushed by on the road in the distance, but no fireflies. Some children in the group expressed disappointment, asking their parents when they would get to see the fireflies. Others turned their flashlights toward the pond in a frantic search for the insects.

“Everybody shut off your flashlight, keep your voices down and wait,” said Bo Shunqi, our guide.

All the lights went off. There was silence for a minute or two and then a little light flickered in the grass by the pond.

“There it is!” I exclaimed, thrilled. Several fireflies flew over the water.

A colleague said, “It’s the first time in my life that I have seen real fireflies,” to her four-year-old son.

Some may envision a forest with hundreds of fireflies turning their lights on and off like blinking Christmas tree lights. Those who visit Dianshan Lake expecting this type of scene will be disappointed. Light pollution and a poor environment in Shanghai mean the firefly population has dwindled in recent years, but with a bit of luck you will see some.

Dianshan Lake is in the west of Qingpu and straddles the border of Shanghai and Jiangsu Province. It is upstream of the Huangpu River. It was formed during the Qin (221-206 BC) and Han (206 BC-220 AD) dynasties, and the name originated from nearby Dian Mountain.

With urbanization gobbling up more land for apartments, roads and related amenities, the Dianshan Lake area is considered one of the best places in Shanghai to observe wild species like fireflies, along with cicadas, dragonflies, damselflies and water skippers, various species of fish, gold line frogs as well as wild hares and hedgehogs.

The beetle family

Seeing a living creature producing its own light is trippy. From deep-sea animals like bobtail squids to certain species of fungi and arthropods, these bioluminescent creatures are amazing.

Fireflies belong to the beetle family and are usually brown in color, have two pairs of wings and three pairs of jointed legs. They usually live close to ponds and can be aquatic, terrestrial or semiaquatic.

There are approximately 2,000 species around the world. One of the most common species found in Shanghai is Luciola substriata, an aquatic species also known as the Japanese firefly.

The typical life cycle of a firefly starts from the larval stage. After hibernating over the winter, they emerge in the spring and several weeks later pupate and become adults.

The light is produced chemically from the lower abdomen. Fireflies take in oxygen and special cells combine it with a substance called luciferin to create light that produces very little heat, similar to the glow sticks people wave at music concerts.

“The light fireflies produce has a higher luminous efficacy than modern bulbs,” Bo said. “The larva, pupa and egg can also produce light.”

Fireflies use the light to attract mates. In most species, both male and females produce light although in some it’s only one sex that glows.

“The adult fireflies produce light to identify species, seek a mate and procreate,” Bo said. “For larva it’s assumed that they do it to defend themselves.”

Tasty diet

A firefly larva eats mainly snails, injecting digestive fluids directly into bigger prey. Adult fireflies eat dew and flower honey and are considered beneficial insects since snails consume crops and plants.

“While searching for fireflies, one needs to wait patiently and use a dim light to avoid light pollution,” Bo said. “Taking photos requires a tripod, a camera with a large aperture as well as post processing.”

The best time to observe fireflies at Dianshan Lake is between late June and early July.

Bo proves to be an excellent and knowledgeable guide. Thanks to his professionalism, we spot a number of insects, fish and toads during the 2km stroll along the lakeside. We even witness a jade green cicada emerging from its shell.

It is an eye-opening adventure to learn so many creatures are amongst us in such a small area. The children, aged from three to nine years old, in our group loved the adventure. They were interested in every creature big or small, regardless of how odd or hideous they appeared. Such an outing provides a great chance to teach young ones about protecting the environment and respecting all creatures on Earth.

“There are no bad animals or good animals,” Bo said while showing a video of a snake eating a frog before the trip. “All creatures exist for a reason. We should not carelessly deprive them of life.”

1. The firefly is a family of insects in the beetle order Coleoptera.

2. They are usually brown in color, have three pairs of legs and two pairs of wings.

3. The light they produce from the lower abdomen is cold light.

4. The fireflies can be aquatic, terrestrial or semiaquatic.

5. Adult fireflies produce light to attract a mate, while larvae do it to warn predators. Many species of firefly larvae contain distasteful or toxic chemicals.

6. The larvae are commonly called glowworms; they hibernate over winter and pupate as adults in spring/summer.

7. There are also species that do not produce light, like those in the Ellychnia genus of fireflies.

8. Fireflies are considered beneficial as they consume snails, which eat crops and other plants.

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