The beetle family Phengodidae is known also as glowworm beetles, whose larvae are known as glowworms. The females and larvae have bioluminescent organs. They occur throughout the New World from extreme southern Canada to Chile. The recently recognized members of the Phengodidae, the Cydistinae, are found in Western Asia. The family Rhagophthalmidae, an Old World group, used to be included in the Phengodidae.
Larval and larviform female glowworms are predators, feeding on millipedes and other arthropods occurring in soil and litter. The winged males, which are often attracted to lights at night, are short-lived and probably do not feed. Females are much larger than the males and are completely larviform. Males may be luminescent, but females and larvae have a series of luminescent organs on trunk segments which emit yellow or green light, and sometimes an additional head organ which emits red light, as in railroad worms.
This family is distinct from the fireflies (family Lampyridae), which may also be called "glow-worms" in its larval stage. According to a few recent studies, Phengodidae might possibly include (or be sister taxon to) the long-lipped beetles,[2] which are primarily differentiated from phengodids by the unusual modifications of their mouthparts; long-lipped beetles were treated as a family Telegeusidae but are most recently treated as a subfamily within the family Omethidae.[3]
^Kundrata, Robin; Blank, Stephan M; Prosvirov, Alexander S; Sormova, Eliska; Gimmel, Matthew L; Vondráček, Dominik; Kramp, Katja (2019-10-19). "One less mystery in Coleoptera systematics: the position of Cydistinae (Elateriformia incertae sedis) resolved by multigene phylogenetic analysis". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 187 (4). Oxford University Press (OUP): 1259–1277. doi:10.1093/zoolinnean/zlz104. ISSN 0024-4082.
^ZARAGOZA-CABALLERO & ZURITA-GARCÍA (2015) A preliminary study on the phylogeny of the family Phengodidae
(Insecta: Coleoptera). Zootaxa 3947: 527–542.
^ROZA, André Silva; CONSTANTIN, Robert; MERMUDES, José Ricardo Miras. Pseudotelegeusis meloi sp. nov., the first Telegeusinae from Peru (Coleoptera: Omethidae, Telegeusinae). European Journal of Taxonomy, [S.l.], n. 580, nov. 2019. ISSN 2118-9773. Available at: <https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/view/809>. Date accessed: 06 dec. 2019. doi:https://doi.org/10.5852/ejt.2019.580.
The beetle family Phengodidae is known also as glowworm beetles, whose larvae are known as glowworms. The females and larvae have bioluminescent organs...
Lampyridae, but bioluminescence also occurs in the families Elateridae, Phengodidae and Rhagophthalmidae among beetles; as well as members of the genera...
is a species of the Glowworm Beetle within the family of Phengodidae. The name Phengodidae is the scientific name for a beetle in which their larvae...
are in the Elateroidea, in the families Lampyridae (~2000 species), Phengodidae (~200 species), Rhagophthalmidae (100 species) and Elateridae (>100 species)...
the Americas, "glow worms" are the closely related Coleopteran family Phengodidae, while in New Zealand and Australia, a "glow worm" is a luminescent larva...
such as Mycetophilidae (Diptera) and the beetle families Lampyridae, Phengodidae, Elateridae and Staphylinidae are bioluminescent. The most familiar group...
western banded glowworm, is a species of glowworm beetle in the family Phengodidae. It is found in North America. "Zarhipis integripennis Report". Integrated...
on the larvae, and sometimes adults, and are closely related to the Phengodidae (glowworm beetles), though historically they have been often treated...
Cantharidae, Lampyridae, Lycidae, Omethidae (which includes Telegeusidae), Phengodidae, and Rhagophthalmidae. Soldier beetles often feed on both nectar and...
larviform female adult of a beetle of the genus Phrixothrix in the family Phengodidae, characterized by the possession of two different colors of bioluminescence...
ability to fly and the elytra have been lost, as in the glow-worms (Phengodidae), where the females resemble larvae throughout their lives. The presence...
light-emitting compound, used for the firefly (Lampyridae), railroad worm (Phengodidae), starworm (Rhagophthalmidae), and click-beetle (Pyrophorini) bioluminescent...
PMID 25482362. Branham, Marc. "Glow-worms, railroad-worms (Insecta: Coleoptera: Phengodidae)". Featured Creatures. University of Florida. Retrieved 29 November 2014...
worm or railroad-worm, is a species of glowworm beetle in the family Phengodidae. It is found in North America. "Phengodes plumosa Report". Integrated...
ecology. Among nocturnal insects, fireflies (Coleoptera: Lampyridae, Phengodidae and Elateridae) are especially interesting study objects for light pollution...
Phengodes arizonensis is a species of glowworm beetle in the family Phengodidae. It is found in North America. "Phengodes arizonensis Report". Integrated...
as a subfamily within Omethidae. According to other recent studies, Phengodidae might possibly include (or be sister taxon to) the telegeusines. Drilonius...