Summer-Insects

Why does the cicada sing constantly? The short answer is this: the male individual produces a click-click sound by rapidly contracting and relaxing the tymbal organ on the sides of its abdomen; the abdominal cavity then amplifies this sound. What sounds to the ear like a continuous buzz is actually the sum of mechanical pulses repeated hundreds of times per second. The main purpose of this sound is the mating call. So it is not random noise but a biological message. For the wider framework, see the main article: Cicada: Sound, Nature and Life Cycle. ...

Why do fireflies glow? The short answer is this: the photophore organ in the abdomen controls the reaction between luciferin and luciferase; when ATP and oxygen come into play, cold light is produced. This light is not a random flash but a signal used for communication within the species. In other words, the light is lit not to attract the attention of some other creature but directly to find the right mate. If you want detail, the main framework is in the main article: Firefly: Bioluminescence and Ecology. ...

The short answer: the cicada is an old and populous insect group of the family Cicadidae within the order Hemiptera, noticed in the summer heat by its sound. We are talking not about a single species but about a large family with more than 3000 species. Its origin is not new either; its evolutionary traces go back roughly 200 million years. Everyday language claims it as just a “bug”, but what it does is not ordinary: it produces one of the strongest insect sounds in nature, comes onto the stage with daylight and hot weather, and calls a mate with its sound. This article is a general guide; for the detail asked about most often in daily life, you can look at our article Why Do Cicadas Sing Constantly? The Sound Mechanism. ...

Short answer: the firefly is a group of insects belonging to the family Lampyridae within the order Coleoptera. In everyday speech it is called an insect, and scientifically it is an insect too. Its most special feature is that it can produce its own light in the dark and uses this light in mating communication. When we say firefly, we should think not of a single creature but of an old group made up of more than 2000 species; its origins go back roughly 100 million years. This article is a general guide; for the detail asked about most often in daily life, you can look at our article Why Do Fireflies Glow? The Secret of Bioluminescence. ...