The firefly is a beetle
and is known for its flashes of light. These lights mean warning signals or a
means of attracting its opposite sex. The greenish white “fire” contains little
infrared or ultraviolet light and is thus known as “cold light”.
The light is produced in the abdomen of
the firefly by almost instantaneous oxidation of a chemical enzyme luciferase.
Light occurs when adenosine triphosphate reacts with luciferase, magnesium, iron to form a complex and pyrophosphate.
This react with oxygen, producing sufficient energy to convert the complex from
a low to high energy excited state by radiating a photon of visible light (that
we see).Photocytes are the cells where lighting occurs. The nervous system
controls the rate of flashing.
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