NATURAL CONNECTIONS: Things That Go 'Blink' in the Night

摘要

AROUND THE GLOBE, the blinking tail lights of fireflies have sparked imaginations since the dawn of civilization. The soft-bodied beetles, members of the order Coleoptera and the firefly family, Lampyridae, exist on every continent except Antarctica.There are 23 genera and approximately 200 species of fireflies, or "lightning bugs," in North America, with the heaviest concentration found east of the Mississippi River. Preferred habitats vary with species and include woodlands, wetlands, fields, andgrasslands.