Lesser glow-worm
Lamprohiza splendidula
Also called: Small glow-worm, Central European glow-worm
At a glance
- Flash
- No blinking. Males glow steadily as they fly, and the wingless females glow from the ground
- Habitat
- Damp broadleaf woodland, woodland edges, river valleys and old gardens
- Range
- Central and southern Europe
- Season
- Midsummer, roughly June and July
- Size
- About 8–10 mm
- When active
- After dark on warm, still nights
Overview
A close cousin of the common glow-worm, and in many Central European woods the more common of the two. The female has no wings and glows from the ground and low plants. Unlike the common glow-worm, the male glows as well, holding a steady light as he drifts slowly through the trees looking for her.
On a warm midsummer night many males can be in the air at once, filling a woodland path or a damp meadow edge with floating lights. The larvae, like other glow-worms, live in the leaf litter and feed on snails.
Sightings logged here
19 sightings of this species have been logged on Alitaptap.
When they have been seen
| January | February | March | April | May | June | July | August | September | October | November | December |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Most reported in June.
79% of these 19 records were made in June and July. So far, records fall in only 3 of the twelve months.
This shows when 19 records were made, not when fireflies fly. A place people only visit in one season looks seasonal for that reason alone, so treat a thin month as “nobody looked” rather than “nothing there”.
Where people saw it
- Leipzig-Süd, Germany
- Slovensko
- Polska
- Markt Piesting, Austria
- Freising, DE
- Oberdöbling, Austria
Where and when it has been seen
| Place | Date | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Leipzig-Süd, Germany | iNaturalist → | |
| Slovensko | iNaturalist → | |
| Polska | iNaturalist → | |
| 48.78, 22.95 | iNaturalist → | |
| 48.89, 25.23 | iNaturalist → | |
| Polska | iNaturalist → | |
| Markt Piesting, Austria | iNaturalist → | |
| Freising, DE | iNaturalist → | |
| 47.42, 9.72 | iNaturalist → | |
| 47.42, 9.72 | iNaturalist → | |
| Oberdöbling, Austria | iNaturalist → | |
| Styria, Austria | iNaturalist → | |
| 48.84, 25.42 | iNaturalist → | |
| 50.01, 23.50 | iNaturalist → | |
| 49.79, 23.88 | iNaturalist → | |
| 49.97, 23.72 | iNaturalist → | |
| 49.99, 23.65 | iNaturalist → | |
| 49.82, 24.09 | iNaturalist → | |
| Krems, Austria | iNaturalist → |
How to identify
Steady lights drifting through the air are the flying males of this species. In the common glow-worm, only the female on the ground shines.
Conservation
Artificial light hides the females from the males, and old, damp woodland is being lost. Dark paths and uncut edges help.
Photographs
Sources & further reading
Photographs load live from Wikimedia Commons and remain © their photographers under the licences shown.