female glowworm

Class: Hexapoda (animals with six legs - includes all insects)
Order: Coleoptera (beetles)
    coleo = sheath and ptera = wings (singular is pteron)
    This name refers to the hardened front wings of beetles.
Family: undetermined possibly Phengodidae (glowworms)
Species: undetermined
Common Name: probably a glowworm (not species or order specific)
Date: 2001 July 21
Place: Guadalupe Mountains National Park
    Pine Springs Visitor Center (near washrooms at night)

Although it doesn't look like one, this is a beetle. To me, it appears very similar, although larger, to the glowworms I found hunting on the sidewalk away from the bright lights (where their light was visible), hence the identification. These glowworms emitted a soft green light. Mature males have wings but mature females look much like the larvae (juveniles) and never develop wings. The larvae are predators. This picture shows either a larva or a mature female.

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Note: This is a personal web site and is not affiliated with the National Park Service or Guadalupe Mountains National Park. Contact information for the author, Ron Lyons, is accessible through the Index Page referenced below. Thank you.