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Firefly preying on a Snail.Tuscany, ItalyThe hunt starts with the glow-worm following the snail's traces.When the snail notices that is chased then try to shake her off climbing vertical/smooth surfaces, interrupting her own trail or producing a dashed trail.I noticed that interruptions 10mm long are enough to sidetrack the glow-worm.If the glow-worm gets to reach the prey, than will bite it behind the head, as close as possible to the shell, in proximity of that dark organ shown in the photo.The glow-worm's bite is poisonous.Quickly the snail retracts itself in the shell trying to decapitate the enemy and, at the same time, emitting a sticky mucus foam.The glow-worm have the ability to retract her head like a turtle, then, will clean herself with a special organ positioned at the end of the abdomen in order to remove all the mucus that prevent her to detect the snail's trail.After the second/third bite, the snail is slower and almost unable to produce the mucus, at this point the glow-worm climbs the shell and bites repeatedly until the snail is paralized, finally the glow-worm eats the snail.
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Zebbug, Malta Majjistral, Malta
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Primorsko, Burgas, Bulgaria
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Primorsko, Burgas, Bulgaria
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Primorsko, Burgas, Bulgaria
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Lampyris Noctiluca cleaning her head from Stylommatophora's mucus.Female Firefly cleaning her head from Snail's slime. Visible how the head is retract in the body after biting the snail.Tuscany, Italy
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Zebbug, Malta Majjistral, Malta
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Primorsko, Burgas, Bulgaria
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Guguan, Taichung County, TaiwanLuciola anceyi Olivier, 1883 Genus Luciola Family Lampyridae
