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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Beetles (Coleoptera) » Water, Rove, Scarab, Longhorn, Leaf and Snout Beetles (Polyphaga) » Click, Firefly and Soldier Beetles (Elateroidea) » Glowworm Beetles (Phengodidae)
Photo#19933
Glowing Meal Worm?
Copyright © 2005 5buglets

Glowing Meal Worm?
Milton, Rock County, Wisconsin, USA
June 10, 2005
Size: about 1 1/2" long
My 5 year old daughter found this on our driveway (by one of her chalk drawings) last night about 11 p.m. It glows in the dark but looks like a meal worm in the light. I couldn't get a good picture of it glowing but it does glow quite brightly. The glow is between each segment of the the body and on each foot.
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Contributed by 5buglets on 12 June, 2005 - 1:48pm
Last updated 13 June, 2005 - 6:12pm

Great addition to bugguide!
Could it be the one in this site?http://creatures.ifas.ufl.edu/misc/beetles/phengodidae05.htm
I know nothing about glow-worms and I am interested in finding out more.
… Beatriz Moisset, 13 June, 2005 - 8:06am login or register to post comments

 
Larval glowworm, Phengodes sp.
Yes, you do have a larval glowworm, genus Phengodes. Neato! Adult females of this insect retain their larval appearance, except they have compound eyes and fully developed reproductive organs. Adult males are beetles (we have at least one image here in Bugguide). You might want to keep it in a moist terrarium and feed it millipedes (their only known prey).
… Eric R. Eaton, 13 June, 2005 - 3:58pm login or register to post comments

 
Re: Great addition to bugguide
Hmm...Could be. It does curl up and when it curls the light pattern looks like that. It seems to like the dark. I noticed the photo in your link was taken at the U of Florida. We are in Wisconsin. Are glow worms native to Wisconsin?
… 5buglets, 13 June, 2005 - 10:57am login or register to post comments

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