Glowworms
I was given a private tour a glowworm area by someone involved with the Brook Waimarama Sanctuary in Nelson. The glowworms are the carnivorous bioluminescent larvae of fungus gnats who produce vertical threads covered with mucus. The bioluminescence attracts small insects who become entangled in the sticky threads and are eaten by the larvae. Most of the other members of the family eat fungus, which is the basis for the fungus gnat name, but this species does not. Some of the places that had a lot of glowworms looked like a planetarium at eye level. The bioluminescence does not flicker, as with fireflies. It shines like a small star, and a lot of them together create the planetarium effect. If you shine a light on them, the threads with the larvae look like strings of shining necklaces.
Glowworms
I was given a private tour a glowworm area by someone involved with the Brook Waimarama Sanctuary in Nelson. The glowworms are the carnivorous bioluminescent larvae of fungus gnats who produce vertical threads covered with mucus. The bioluminescence attracts small insects who become entangled in the sticky threads and are eaten by the larvae. Most of the other members of the family eat fungus, which is the basis for the fungus gnat name, but this species does not. Some of the places that had a lot of glowworms looked like a planetarium at eye level. The bioluminescence does not flicker, as with fireflies. It shines like a small star, and a lot of them together create the planetarium effect. If you shine a light on them, the threads with the larvae look like strings of shining necklaces.