Luciola
Encyclopedia
Luciola is a genus
of "flashing" fireflies
(family
Lampyridae), especially well-known from Japan
. They are often called "Japanese fireflies", but their members range farther into Asia
and reach southern Europe
(Italy, France, Spain, Portugal, among other countries) and Africa
. This genus is traditionally held to extend to Australia
, but these species
do not seem to belong herein (see below for details).
e of several species are aquatic
. The adults of the typical Luciola are similar to those of Atyphella
which was formerly included in this genus. They can be easily distinguished by the males' aedagus however, which in Luciola proper has large lateral lobes that do not taper and have elongated, slender and flattened smaller lobes along their ventral margin. The middle lobe of the males' aedagus is very slim and has a point before the tip. By contrast, the Australia
n group resembles Pyrophanes in its lateral lobes of the aedagus being small and not visible from beneath. But unlike in Pyrophanes, the sheath of the aedagus lacks paraprocts, and the seventh ventrite of the abdomen
lacks the hairy lobes and points at its hind margin.
Two Japanese species of Luciola, collectively known as hotaru
(蛍), are significant in Japanese culture and folklore
. They are symbols of the hitodama
(人魂 or 人玉), the soul
s of the newly-dead. See also the explanations at the article on the movie Hotaru no Haka ("Grave of the Fireflies") for a discussion of the cultural significance of the hotaru.
and Pygoluciola, which for some time were included in Luciola, is now again recognized as distinct.
The internal systematics
of Luciola are somewhat in need of revision, and it is not certain whether these species are all correctly assigned to this genus. For example, the Australia
n species appear to be separate and not very closely related to the other members of this genus, but rather to Colophotia, Pteroptyx and Pyrophanes. Whether the larva
e of these can be recognized by the share soft terga
lacking paranota, or whether this is a plesiomorphic trait also present in other Luciolinae, remains to be determined.
L. deplanata might be worthy of separation in a monotypic
genus Photuroluciola.
But considering the fact that many species remain essentially unstudied, a recent review of the genus concluded that:
The species undulata was recently removed to Atyphella
, and guigliae, hamulata, kinabalua, stylifer and witmeri were reestablished as Pygoluciola.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of "flashing" fireflies
Firefly
Lampyridae is a family of insects in the beetle order Coleoptera. They are winged beetles, and commonly called fireflies or lightning bugs for their conspicuous crepuscular use of bioluminescence to attract mates or prey. Fireflies produce a "cold light", with no infrared or ultraviolet frequencies...
(family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Lampyridae), especially well-known from Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. They are often called "Japanese fireflies", but their members range farther into Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
and reach southern Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
(Italy, France, Spain, Portugal, among other countries) and Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
. This genus is traditionally held to extend to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, but these species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
do not seem to belong herein (see below for details).
Biological description
Unlike some other fireflies, the females of Luciola are fully winged. Ecologically, the genus is remarkable in that the larvaLarva
A larva is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle...
e of several species are aquatic
Aquatic insects
Aquatic insects live some portion of their life cycle in the water. They feed in the same ways as other insects. Some diving insects, such as predatory diving beetles, can hunt for food underwater where land-living insects cannot compete.-Breathing:...
. The adults of the typical Luciola are similar to those of Atyphella
Atyphella
Atyphella is a genus of ‘flashing’ firefly found in the Australasian region, particularly in the eastern and northern regions of Australia...
which was formerly included in this genus. They can be easily distinguished by the males' aedagus however, which in Luciola proper has large lateral lobes that do not taper and have elongated, slender and flattened smaller lobes along their ventral margin. The middle lobe of the males' aedagus is very slim and has a point before the tip. By contrast, the Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n group resembles Pyrophanes in its lateral lobes of the aedagus being small and not visible from beneath. But unlike in Pyrophanes, the sheath of the aedagus lacks paraprocts, and the seventh ventrite of the abdomen
Abdomen
In vertebrates such as mammals the abdomen constitutes the part of the body between the thorax and pelvis. The region enclosed by the abdomen is termed the abdominal cavity...
lacks the hairy lobes and points at its hind margin.
Two Japanese species of Luciola, collectively known as hotaru
Hotaru
- Places :* Hotaru, in Grojdibodu Commune, Olt County, Romania* Hotaru, in Andreiaşu de Jos Commune, Vrancea County, Romania- People :* Hotaru Akane, an AV Idol* Hotaru Hazuki, stage and pink film actress* Hotaru Honda, rhythmic gymnast...
(蛍), are significant in Japanese culture and folklore
Japanese folklore
The folklore of Japan is heavily influenced by both Shinto and Buddhism, the two primary religions in the country. It often involves humorous or bizarre characters and situations and also includes an assortment of supernatural beings, such as bodhisattva, kami , yōkai , yūrei ,...
. They are symbols of the hitodama
Hitodama
are believed in Japanese folklore to be the souls of the newly dead taking form as mysterious fiery apparitions. The word hitodama is a combination of the Japanese words hito, meaning "human", and tama , meaning "soul"...
(人魂 or 人玉), the soul
Soul
A soul in certain spiritual, philosophical, and psychological traditions is the incorporeal essence of a person or living thing or object. Many philosophical and spiritual systems teach that humans have souls, and others teach that all living things and even inanimate objects have souls. The...
s of the newly-dead. See also the explanations at the article on the movie Hotaru no Haka ("Grave of the Fireflies") for a discussion of the cultural significance of the hotaru.
Systematics
Luciola in the narrow sense appears to be most closely related to a rather basal group of Luciolinae, including Bourgeoisia and Lampyroidea and Hotaria. Their relationships are not well resolved and Hotaria is sometimes merged with Luciola. On the other hand, the genera AtyphellaAtyphella
Atyphella is a genus of ‘flashing’ firefly found in the Australasian region, particularly in the eastern and northern regions of Australia...
and Pygoluciola, which for some time were included in Luciola, is now again recognized as distinct.
The internal systematics
Systematics
Biological systematics is the study of the diversification of terrestrial life, both past and present, and the relationships among living things through time. Relationships are visualized as evolutionary trees...
of Luciola are somewhat in need of revision, and it is not certain whether these species are all correctly assigned to this genus. For example, the Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n species appear to be separate and not very closely related to the other members of this genus, but rather to Colophotia, Pteroptyx and Pyrophanes. Whether the larva
Larva
A larva is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle...
e of these can be recognized by the share soft terga
Tergum
A tergum is the dorsal portion of an arthropod segment other than the head. The anterior edge is called the base and posterior edge is called the apex or margin. A given tergum may be divided into hardened plates or sclerites commonly referred to as tergites...
lacking paranota, or whether this is a plesiomorphic trait also present in other Luciolinae, remains to be determined.
L. deplanata might be worthy of separation in a monotypic
Monotypic
In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group with only one biological type. The term's usage differs slightly between botany and zoology. The term monotypic has a separate use in conservation biology, monotypic habitat, regarding species habitat conversion eliminating biodiversity and...
genus Photuroluciola.
But considering the fact that many species remain essentially unstudied, a recent review of the genus concluded that:
"A phylogenetic analysis [...] may give indications for subdivisions within Luciola. However, there are elements of the cart and the horse here – which should come first? Break up Luciola based on narrow analyses, or wait until more analyses are available? It is our contention that those Luciolinae species which do not fit elsewhere should either be described as Luciola sp. or remain undescribed until such time as phylogenetic analyses indicate a repeatable pattern of subdivisions with Luciola. Any other action would be, in our opinion, premature."
Selected species
The distinct Australian group includes species such as:- Luciola australis
- Luciola flavicollis
- Luciola nigra
- Luciola orapallida
The species undulata was recently removed to Atyphella
Atyphella
Atyphella is a genus of ‘flashing’ firefly found in the Australasian region, particularly in the eastern and northern regions of Australia...
, and guigliae, hamulata, kinabalua, stylifer and witmeri were reestablished as Pygoluciola.