Souto Paula M, Rosa Simone P, de A Zampaulo Robson, Rivera Sara C, Pellegrini Thais G, da Silveira Luiz F L
Centre for Functional Ecology, Department of Life Sciences, Associated Laboratory TERRA, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal University of Coimbra Coimbra Portugal.
Instituto de Recursos Naturais, Universidade Federal de Itajubá, Itajubá - MG, Brazil Universidade Federal de Itajubá Itajubá Brazil.
Zookeys. 2024 May 28;1203:71-94. doi: 10.3897/zookeys.1203.120341. eCollection 2024.
The predatory firefly is common throughout the Atlantic Forest and has been proposed as a biomonitor due to the species' narrow niche and elevational range. However, the species is only known from adults, and a more effective monitoring of its populations hinges on the lack of knowledge on their immature stages. Recent sampling in ferruginous caves and inserted in other lithologies, on sites in the Atlantic Forest and Cerrado, have led to the capture of firefly larvae later reared to adults in the lab. Firefly larvae have been reported in South American caves before; however, they have only been identified to family due to the adult-biased taxonomy of Lampyridae. Here, we provide an updated diagnosis of , describe its immature stages for the first time, and update the distribution of the species. The larvae of were observed to interact with guano of several bat species, including that of vampire bats. These observations are consistent with the less specialized feeding preferences of photurine larvae, unlike most other firefly taxa, which specialize in gastropods and earthworms. It is yet unclear whether are cave specialists. However, since its occurrence outside caves remains unknown, protecting cave environments must be considered in conservation strategies for this important biomonitor species.
掠食性萤火虫在整个大西洋森林都很常见，由于该物种的生态位狭窄和海拔范围有限，它已被提议作为一种生物监测指标。然而，该物种仅在成虫阶段被人所知，对其种群进行更有效的监测取决于对其未成熟阶段缺乏了解。最近在大西洋森林和塞拉多地区的含铁洞穴以及其他岩性区域进行采样，捕获了萤火虫幼虫，随后在实验室中将其饲养至成虫。此前在南美洞穴中曾有过萤火虫幼虫的报道；然而，由于萤科偏向于成虫的分类学，它们仅被鉴定到科。在此，我们提供了[物种名称]的最新诊断，首次描述了其未成熟阶段，并更新了该物种的分布情况。观察到[物种名称]的幼虫与几种蝙蝠的粪便相互作用，包括吸血蝙蝠的粪便。这些观察结果与光萤科幼虫不太特殊的取食偏好一致，与大多数其他萤火虫类群不同，后者专门以腹足动物和蚯蚓为食。目前尚不清楚[物种名称]是否是洞穴特化物种。然而，由于其在洞穴外的出现情况仍然未知，在针对这种重要生物监测物种的保护策略中，必须考虑保护洞穴环境。
