Alitaptap in English

Quick answers

What is alitaptap in English?

Firefly. Some people in the United States say lightning bug. Both mean the same insect.

How do you say more than one alitaptap?

In Tagalog, mga alitaptap. In English, fireflies.

Is an alitaptap a kulisap?

Yes. Kulisap is the Tagalog word for a small insect or bug of any kind, and an alitaptap is one kind of kulisap: a beetle that glows. Every alitaptap is a kulisap, but most kulisap are not alitaptap.

Is a firefly a fly?

No. Despite the English name, fireflies are beetles, with hard wing covers like a ladybug. Scientists group them in the family Lampyridae, from a Greek word meaning to shine.

Why does an alitaptap glow?

An alitaptap makes light with chemistry, not heat. Inside the glowing part of its body, a chemical called luciferin mixes with oxygen, helped by an enzyme called luciferase, and gives off light. Almost no heat is made, so the light is called cold light. Fireflies flash to find a mate, and each kind has its own pattern, like a secret code. Even the babies, which live in the soil, glow.

Where to see alitaptap in the Philippines

The best-known displays are on mangrove rivers, where thousands of alitaptap gather on the same trees and flash together, so a whole tree seems to blink. These are mangrove fireflies of the genus Pteroptyx, among the few fireflies in the world that flash in time with each other. Well-known places to watch them include the Abatan River in Bohol, the Iwahig River in Palawan and the Ogod River in Donsol, Sorsogon. Go on a dark night, paddle rather than motor, and never use a flash.

The legend of Alitaptap

Alitaptap is also a name in an old Tagalog legend. In it, fireflies came from the broken star on the forehead of a girl named Alitaptap. Like many folk stories, it is told in more than one way, and it is a story, not science, but it shows how long these lights have been part of life in the Philippines.

Why there are fewer alitaptap now

Many Filipinos remember seeing more alitaptap when they were children. Fireflies around the world face the same three main threats: losing the places they live, such as mangroves and fields, light at night that drowns out their flashes, and bug spray that harms them and their babies in the soil. You can help by turning off outdoor lights at night, leaving some leaves and long grass, and logging the fireflies you see on our map, so we can learn where they still live.

Ano ang alitaptap?

Ang alitaptap ay isang uri ng kulisap na umiilaw sa gabi. Sa Ingles, tinatawag itong firefly, o lightning bug sa ilang bahagi ng Estados Unidos. Hindi ito langaw kundi salagubang. Kumikislap ang alitaptap para makahanap ng kapareha, at may sariling paraan ng pagkislap ang bawat uri. Makikita sila sa mga ilog na may bakawan, gaya ng Abatan sa Bohol at Iwahig sa Palawan. Patayin ang mga ilaw sa labas tuwing gabi para makatulong sa kanila.