Animal Luminescence 559 



Linnaeus did not mention Lumbricus as luminous in the tenth 

 edition of Systema Naturae (1758) and no additional records of 

 earthworm luminescence appear for nearly one hundred years after 

 the note by Grimm. In 1780 M. de Flaugergues wrote a " Lettre sur 

 le phosphorisme des vers de terre " to M. le Baron de Servieres to be 

 transmitted to M. I'Abbe Rozier, editor of the Journal de Physique. 

 In this letter Flaugergues stated that during a beautiful evening in 

 October, 1771, while walking along the Rhone he noted earthworms 

 which luminesced like rotten wood. The bluish light appeared over 

 the whole body, particularly on the " bourrelet " (clitellum) . In a 

 box with moist earth they presented " un tres joli spectacle." No 

 light appeared from dead worms. Flaugergues searched assiduously 

 at other times and in other years but found only a single luminous 

 worm in October, 1775, and asked the Abbe Rozier whether the 

 light could be " an effect of some amorous efferverscence such as is 

 produced in the rear part of the glowworm." 



The idea that the light of earthworms is for attracting the sexes 

 has not been substantiated by later work. Luminous species have 

 been found in all parts of the world, although they are especially 

 common in Europe. J. G. Brugiere (1792) observed them at 

 Avignon, and there are many records from 1837 to the present day. 

 Most writers express astonishment that earthworms should lumi- 

 nesce and the use of the light is still uncertain, although many 

 observers hold it to be a means of scaring predacious animals away. 

 The luminous material actually comes from the coelomic fluid, a 

 discovery of W. B. Benham (1899) , overlooked by previous workers 

 such as P. Panceri (1875) and A. Giard (1887) . 



The Lanterri Fly, Fulgora 



The luminosity of few animals has excited as much controversy 

 as that of the lantern fly or lantern bearer. A large lantern-like pro- 

 tuberance on the head suggests that light should be emitted, al- 

 though the structure of the lantern, which is said to contain an 

 extension of the alimentary canal, speaks against luminosity. The 

 earliest illustration of the insect, reproduced as figure 44, was made 

 from a dried specimen from Peru in the museum of the Royal 

 Society and appeared in Nathaniel Grew's Museum Regalis Socie- 

 tatis . . . ivhereunto is subjoyned the Comparative Anatomy of 

 Stomachs and Guts, published in London in 1681. The insect was 

 named Cucujus peruvianus and said to be luminous.-^ There are 



21 Grew described (p. 158) the insect as follows: " The Lanthorn-fly of Peru. 

 Cucujus Peruvianus. Quite a different Species from that described by Moufet. And, 

 with respect to its Wings, is in no way of kin to the Beetle or Scarabeus-kind but 



