Railroad worm
Encyclopedia
A railroad worm is a larva
or larviform female adult of a beetle
of the genus Phrixothrix in the family
Phengodidae
, characterized by their unique possession of two different colors of bioluminescence
. The luminescent organs of their body can glow green, while those on their head can glow red; this is probably due to different luciferase
s in their bodies, as the reaction substrate, called luciferin, is the same. This is believed to be an adaptation to help confuse and frighten predators.
The term "railroad worm" is also sometimes applied to the Apple maggot
.
Larva
A larva is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle...
or larviform female adult of a beetle
Beetle
Coleoptera is an order of insects commonly called beetles. The word "coleoptera" is from the Greek , koleos, "sheath"; and , pteron, "wing", thus "sheathed wing". Coleoptera contains more species than any other order, constituting almost 25% of all known life-forms...
of the genus Phrixothrix in the family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Phengodidae
Phengodidae
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...
, characterized by their unique possession of two different colors of bioluminescence
Bioluminescence
Bioluminescence is the production and emission of light by a living organism. Its name is a hybrid word, originating from the Greek bios for "living" and the Latin lumen "light". Bioluminescence is a naturally occurring form of chemiluminescence where energy is released by a chemical reaction in...
. The luminescent organs of their body can glow green, while those on their head can glow red; this is probably due to different luciferase
Luciferase
Luciferase is a generic term for the class of oxidative enzymes used in bioluminescence and is distinct from a photoprotein. One famous example is the firefly luciferase from the firefly Photinus pyralis. "Firefly luciferase" as a laboratory reagent usually refers to P...
s in their bodies, as the reaction substrate, called luciferin, is the same. This is believed to be an adaptation to help confuse and frighten predators.
The term "railroad worm" is also sometimes applied to the Apple maggot
Apple maggot
The apple maggot , also known as railroad worm, is a pest of several fruits, mainly apples. The adult form of this insect is about 5 mm long, slightly smaller than a house fly, with a white dot on its thorax and a characteristic black banding shaped like an "F" on its wings...
.