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Issue: Vol. 5689 No. 3: 4 Sept. 2025
Type: Article
Published: 2025-09-04
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5689.3.4
Page range: 487-504
Abstract views: 176
PDF downloaded: 6

Bioluminescence, morphology, biological aspects and molecular association of larvae and adults of Stenophrixothrix (Coleoptera: Phengodidae)

Laboratório de Entomologia; Departamento de Zoologia; Instituto de Biologia; Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro; A1–107; Bloco A; Av. Carlos Chagas Filho; 373; Cidade Universitária; Ilha do Fundão; Rio de Janeiro; Brasil
Centro de Ciências e Tecnologias para Sustentabilidade (CCCTS) Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCar); Campus de Sorocaba; Sorocaba; SP; Brasil
Centro de Ciências e Tecnologias para Sustentabilidade (CCCTS) Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCar); Campus de Sorocaba; Sorocaba; SP; Brasil
Laboratório de Entomologia; Departamento de Zoologia; Instituto de Biologia; Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro; A1–107; Bloco A; Av. Carlos Chagas Filho; 373; Cidade Universitária; Ilha do Fundão; Rio de Janeiro; Brasil
Centro de Ciências e Tecnologias para Sustentabilidade (CCCTS) Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCar); Campus de Sorocaba; Sorocaba; SP; Brasil
Coleoptera Immature stages Mastinocerinae Morphology Neotropical

Abstract

Railroad-worms (Phengodidae) occur in the Americas, Turkey and Middle East, but are especially diverse in the Neotropical region. In Brazil there are 63 described species, but except for Phrixothrix hirtus, larvae of described species could not be associated with their adults, due to the difficulty of rearing these beetles. In the campus of Sorocaba of the Universidade Federal de São Carlos, São Paulo, Brazil, we found a railroad-worm species inhabiting secondary growth forests, which was also found in other locations in the transition of Atlantic rainforest to Cerrado in São Paulo state. Here we describe the morphology of the larva of Stenophrixothrix sp., along with bioluminescence and ecological aspects of this species. The adult males were attracted to light traps and produce a yellow bioluminescence. The larva displays dark brown dorsal coloration, with yellow emitting lateral lanterns along the dorsal part of the body and a single small cephalic lantern which emits yellow to orange light. Analysis of the mitochondrial 16S marker shows that the larva and adults are indeed from the same species. Whereas the in vitro bioluminescence spectra for lateral and cephalic lanterns extracts overlap, suggesting the presence of a single luciferase isozyme, the in vivo bioluminescence color of the cephalic lantern changes from yellow to orange depending on the angle, probably due to the filtering effect caused by the highly sclerotized cuticle.

 

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How to Cite

Roza, A.S., Souza, D.R.D., Pelentir, G.F., Barbosa, F.F., Mermudes, J.R.M. & Viviani, V.R. (2025) Bioluminescence, morphology, biological aspects and molecular association of larvae and adults of Stenophrixothrix (Coleoptera: Phengodidae). Zootaxa, 5689 (3), 487–504. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5689.3.4