''Aquatica hydrophila'' is a species of

firefly The Lampyridae are a family of elateroid beetles with more than 2,000 described species, many of which are light-emitting. They are soft-bodied beetles commonly called fireflies, lightning bugs, or glowworms for their conspicuous production ...

found in

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

. Described in 2003, it was formerly placed in the genus ''

Luciola ''Luciola'' is a genus of "flashing" fireflies (family Lampyridae), especially well known from Japan. They are often called "Japanese fireflies", but their members range farther into Asia and reach southern Europe (Italy, France, Spain, Portugal ...

''. The larvae are aquatic and live in ditches and small streams.

Taxonomy

Jeng, Lai and Yang described this species as ''Luciola hydrophila'' in 2003. The type locality is Wulai, New Taipei, Taiwan, and the

holotype A holotype is a single physical example (or illustration) of an organism, known to have been used when the species (or lower-ranked taxon) was formally described. It is either the single such physical example (or illustration) or one of several ...

is in the

National Museum of Natural Science The National Museum of Natural Science () is a national museum in North District, Taichung, Taiwan. Overview The museum covers and is a six-venue complex housing: the Space Theater, Science Center, Life Science Hall, Human Cultures Hall, Gl ...

. In 2010, Fu, Ballantyne and Lambkin transferred it to the new genus ''Aquatica''.

Description

The adult male is long, and the female is long. The elongate, convex body is long. It is covered with golden hairs. The prothorax and scutellum are pale yellow, and the elytra are dark brown. The

ventrite The sternum (pl. "sterna") is the ventral portion of a segment of an arthropod thorax or abdomen. In insects, the sterna are usually single, large sclerites, and external. However, they can sometimes be divided in two or more, in which case the ...

s are dark yellow to brown. The eyes are larger in the male. The male's elongate aedeagal sheath is about long. Mature larvae are long and wide. They have gills, and they have glands that can be turned inside out and secrete protective substances.

Distribution and habitat

''A. hydrophila'' is found in Taiwan, below in elevation. It is more common in the northern and central parts of the island. Adults are mainly found from March to July. Larvae occur in ditches and small streams with fast-flowing, shallow water and cobbles at the bottom.

Behaviour

The larvae are aquatic. They are unable to swim; they crawl at the bottom of water. The larvae prey on

freshwater snail Freshwater snails are gastropod mollusks which live in fresh water. There are many different families. They are found throughout the world in various habitats, ranging from ephemeral pools to the largest lakes, and from small seeps and springs ...

s such as '' Semisulcospira libertina'' and '' Thiara tuberculata''. The adults produce green-yellow light and have been seen looking for mates near water. Artificial lights can attract males. There is probably one generation per year.

References

{{Taxonbar, from1=Q97032782, from2=Q3217253 Lampyridae Bioluminescent insects Beetles of Asia Insects of Taiwan Endemic fauna of Taiwan Beetles described in 2003