Railroad-worm
Guides
Phengodidae
glowworm beetles, glow-worms, railroad-worms, trenecitos, bigotudos
Phengodidae is a family of bioluminescent beetles commonly known as glowworm beetles. The family contains over 250 described species distributed throughout the New World from southern Canada to Chile, with additional diversity in Western Asia through the subfamily Cydistinae. Females and larvae possess bioluminescent organs that emit yellow, green, or red light; the Brazilian railroad worm Phrixothrix hirtus is the only terrestrial organism known to produce true red light. Females are larviform and typically much larger than males, which are winged, short-lived, and often attracted to lights. The family was formerly considered to include the Old World Rhagophthalmidae, now recognized as a separate family.
Stenophrixothrix
railroad-worm
Stenophrixothrix is a genus of railroad-worms (Phengodidae) established by Wittmer in 1963. Species in this genus exhibit distinctive bioluminescence: adult males produce yellow light, while larvae possess multiple photophores including lateral lanterns emitting yellow light and a cephalic lantern producing yellow to orange light. The genus has been documented in secondary growth forests in São Paulo, Brazil, where molecular analysis has confirmed the association between larval and adult stages.