8/20/2014 1

Ants as a Diet for the Life Cycle of the

Terrestrial Firefly Luciola cereta

Jen-Zon Ho, Hua-Te Fang, Jing-Han Hu, Ping-Shih Yang

Taiwan Endemic Species Research Institute, C.O.A.

University of Florida Gainesville,

FL, USA. Hilton University of Florida

Conference Center Date：2014.08.13

The International Firefly Symposium 2014

8/20/2014 2

8/20/2014 3

8/20/2014 4

black winged firefly

Endemic species and widely distributed.

They are probably the most important and well

known species observed for their flashing

behavior by the general public in the field.

The flashes of interactions were recorded and

analyzed. Male flashes interval was 0.6~0.8s,

flashes lasting about 0.24s, female flashes being

blinking light and its flash communication

system was classifying as HP system (Ohba and

Yang, 2003).

Males with a pentagonal segment have a faster

flashing rate than those with a semi-oval

segment and are considered more attractive to

females in groups with male-biased sex ratios

(Wu et al., 2010).

8/20/2014 5

Distribution Horizontal distribution except

south-eastern Taiwan.

Habitats included betel palm

orchard, bamboo, grass land, citrus

orchard, and low altitude

mountains.

富源

恆春

8/20/2014 6

Firefly festivals were held from 1987 in Ali Mt. annually.

Better income of home stay was increased due to firefly watching activities in spring.

Local community people joint the firefly protections and habitat management.

To create sustainable relationship between ecology , sociality, and economics in harmony.

Firefly Festivals

8/20/2014 7

Larval habitats and observation

8/20/2014 8

Firefly larvae are carnivorous

Some aquatic species feed on water snails in Asia (Ohba,

1973; 1977; Ho, 2010; Fu, 2006).

Terrestrial species feed on snails and slugs to complete their

life cycle include Pyrocoelia praetexta, P. analis, and P.

pectoralis in Asia (Ho, 1998; Ho & Huang, 2003; Ho et al.,

2003; Wang et al., 2007); Lampyris noctiluca in Britain

(Tyler, 1997; 2002); and Pyractomena lucifera and Photuris

spp. in America (Buschman, 1984; 1987).

Obligate earthworm predators such as Phosphaenus

hemipterus had been described (Majka and MacIvor, 2009)

Fu and Ballantyne (2008) had described how Pygoluciola

qingyu larvae attacked and ate ants in the field, but whether

ants are necessary for completion of this life cycle is

unknown.

8/20/2014 9

Rhgophthalmus beigansis Luciola ficta

Diaphanes citrinus Pyrocoelia praetexta

8/20/2014 10

Larval illumination of L. cerata

8/20/2014 11

Materials and Methods

Tests of larval foraging preference

External morphology

Life cycle

- Egg collection

- Larval breeding

8/20/2014 12

Tests of larval foraging preference

Test of larval foraging preference was conducted and results

show nine preys are acceptable.

Larvae are carnivous and polytrophic.

陸生渦蟲

1. Terrestrial snail 2. Slug 3. Water snail 4. Pill woodlouse 5. Long-legged ant

6. Lift tail ant 7. Termite 8. Earthworm 9. Millipede 10. Terrestrial planarians

8/20/2014 13

Adult morphology

Male Female 3 mm

8/20/2014 14

Mandible

Antenna

Head

Fore leg

Pronotum

Mid leg

Hind leg

Mesonotum

Postnotum

Abdomen

Spiracle

Dorsal

spine

Later

spine

Dorsal ridge

Larval Morphology

8/20/2014 15

Larval breeding and Ants as a diet

Crematogaster spp.

Completed whole

generation successfully

Figure Two stage breeding of

larvae L. cerata. A: First stage for

the young larvae; B: Second stage

for mature larvae. Shape of mud

cocoon with lid and open without

soil . The open container will later

be sealed with soil and a small

hole will be provided for ventilation.

8/20/2014 16

Reared conditions and results

All were kept at room temperature 18-30℃, RH = 80± 5%, and photoperiod L: D = 10:14.

97 replications were conducted and reared by “terrestrial Luciola larval breeding method”

individually.

After the experiment, emergence rate of 59.79 % (n = 58) was calculated. All paired females in container collected and let them ovipositor.

Regeneration breeding will be possibly in our work.

8/20/2014 17

Developmental durations

Sex (n)

Developmental duration (mean ± SD) (day)

Egg Larva Making

cocoon Prepupa Pupa Adult Generation

Female 32 16.0±0.0 334.2±17.8 1.3±0.8 5.3±1.9 7.0±1.7 12.7±4.0 376.4±16.3

Male 26 16.0±0.0 314.1±16.0 1.2±0.4 5.8±1.6 7.7±1.9 15.0±1.8 359.8±12.0

Both 58 16.0±0.0 325.2±19.7 1.3±0.7 5.5±1.7 7.3±1.8 13.7±4.5 369.0±16.7

8/20/2014 18

The ratio of each life stage

8/20/2014 19

Instar variations sexually

8/20/2014 20

Life cycle of Luciola cerata

8/20/2014 21

Parasites

Flour mite (Acaridae)

Entomopathogenic fungi (Metarhizium anisopliae)

8/20/2014 22

Discussion

Self-designed rearing apparatus for the terrestrial

firefly, L. cerata using the frozen lift tail ants

(Crematogaster spp.) could complete whole life

cycle and an univoltine.

Ants are abundant and take important roles as

primary consumers and decomposers in ecosystem.

L. cerata larvae select survival strategies and

consider the nutritional preys, and high population

and density. Better strategies are more able to

ensure its survival advantage in ecosystem.

8/20/2014 23

Discussion

Ants provided better nutrition for L. cerata larva development. They have been estimated that 10% of the animal biomass of the earth is comprised. Not only are they abundant, but they are also quite diverse. Ants have far more abundant of protein than chicken, fish, beef, and 100 g dry weight of ants product 650 calories which contain rich amino acids, minerals, selenium, and zinc (Rastogi, 2011; Redford and Dorea, 1984).

8/20/2014 24

8/20/2014 25

Formosa pangolin

8/20/2014 26 Assassin bugs (Reduviidae)

8/20/2014 27

Pygoluciola qingyu

Luciola praeusta

Luciola terminalis Luciola anceyi

Luciola cerata

Specialized myrmecophages

8/20/2014 28

Thank you

for listening

8/20/2014 29

Acknowledgments

We are grateful to Mr. Kuo-Yun Fang , the director of ESRI for encouragement. We also thank the assistance of Mrs. Shu-Lin Chang (ESRI) and Mrs. Na-Hua Tsai (ESRI) in field collection, laboratory breeding work and diet collection.

8/20/2014 30

8/20/2014 31

Applications of Individual breeding

Basic model for science study

Create the chance for mass production

Habitat restoration

Environmental education

(Tsai, 2012)

8/20/2014 32

8/20/2014 33

黑翅螢 –嘉義若蘭山莊

8/20/2014 34

黑翅螢 – 嘉義圓潭生態園區

8/20/2014 35

黑翅螢 & 紅胸黑翅螢 – 嘉義山美村

8/20/2014 36

黑翅螢 – 嘉義里佳藍色部落

8/20/2014 37

黑翅螢 – 阿里山公興村

8/20/2014 38

黑翅螢 – 台南梅嶺

8/20/2014 39

黑翅螢 – 台北翡翠水庫

8/20/2014 40

黑翅螢 & 脈翅螢 – 南投圳頭湖

8/20/2014 41

The flashes of interactions were recorded and analyzed.

Male flashes interval was 0.6~0.8s, flashes lasting about

0.24s, female flashes being blinking light and its flash

communication system was classifying as HP system

(Ohba and Yang, 2003).

Males with a pentagonal segment have a faster flashing

rate than those with a semi-oval segment and are

considered more attractive to females in groups with

male-biased sex ratios (Wu et al., 2010).

Literature review of L. cerata

8/20/2014 42

Nature enemy

Opiliones 盲蛛 Spider 蜘蛛

Bipalium 渦蟲 Stink bug 椿象