Glow-worm

Name: Glow-worm

Scientific name: Lampyris noctiluca

Category: Minibeasts

Nature Stars: 60

What are nature stars?

About: A medium sized, narrow beetle, about 1cm long. The males look like typical beetles, but the females have no wings and look similar to larvae. Most often found as a larva, which is greyish brown with yellowy-orange triangular markings at the side of each segment. Larvae live under rocks on chalky grassland and eat slugs and snails by injecting them with poison! Famously, at night the females climb up plant stems and glow, a greeny orange light coming out of their bottom! Adults are only around for a short period in June and July.

How to identify: Unmistakeable.

Where: Widespread

Natural Superpowers

• Predator: 30
• Agility: 60
• Rarity: 70
• Cute factor: 60
• Traveller: 30

Fantastic fact: The larvae are predators, feeding on snails. The adults don't feed at all!

Photograph credit: Photo credit tbc