Lampyris noctiluca: Where It Lives, Map & Facts

Where the lampyris noctiluca lives – recorded in 11 countries, with quick facts from Wikidata and an introduction from Wikipedia.

Scientific name	Lampyris noctiluca
Group	Beetles
Found in	11 countries
Continents	Europe
Class	Insect
Order	Coleoptera
Family	Lampyridae

Where does the lampyris noctiluca live?

Open-licence (CC0 / CC BY) wild records published on GBIF place the lampyris noctiluca in 11 countries and territories across Europe.

Countries with at least a handful of records (a minimum share of the species’ records, to leave out vagrants and escapes). Records with coordinates only; captive and fossil records excluded.

What kind of animal is the lampyris noctiluca?

The lampyris noctiluca (Lampyris noctiluca) is an insect in the order Coleoptera and the family Lampyridae, genus Lampyris. (Taxonomy from Wikidata.)

About the lampyris noctiluca

Lampyris noctiluca, the common glowworm of Europe (see also "glowworm"), is the type species of beetle in the genus Lampyris and the family Lampyridae.

Lampyris noctiluca presents conspicuous sexual dimorphism. The males are winged, with brown elytra, a clearer pronotum and a large brown spot in the middle, while females are larviform, with no wings, and they are often twice the size of the males (up to 25 millimetres (1 in) in length).

These beetles use their bioluminescence to attract mates. The adult females are mostly famed for their glow, although all stages of their life cycle are capable of glowing.

In Britain, this species is fairly common, compared to its cousin Phosphaenus hemipterus—the lesser glow worm—which is very rare.

Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Lampyris noctiluca (revision 1377167574), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: lead section excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Quick facts, taxonomy and status: Wikidata Q852831 (CC0). Countries and pin: GBIF.org occurrence records (CC0 / CC BY 4.0).