Animal Luminescence 561 



tions. It only appears when several insects, males and females, are 

 together, such as no doubt occurred in Madam Meriam's box. 



Luminosity of the Asian species, Fulgora candelaria, the candle 

 fly, has also been subject of controversy. Edward Donovan (1768- 

 1837) in his Epitome of the Natural History of the Insects of CJiina 

 (1798: 30) implied that F. candelaria is luminous but did not state 

 that he actually saw the light. In 1864 E. Newman published a state- 

 ment of Mr. James Smith that Fulgora (Pyrops) candelaria is linni- 

 nous between May and August but not in winter, Avhen it is only 

 occasionally seen. " In summer it has a pale blue or green light at 

 the end of the snout, which may be considerably augmented by a 

 gentle pressure of the insect; it is brightest in the female." It is 

 common throughout all China and called the " Star of Eve," " Eye 

 of Confucious," or " Spark fly." Smith stated that the same insect 

 is called in winter the flying elephant, perhaps in reference to its 

 long proboscis and " when the insect is settled the light is more lumi- 

 nous than when it is flying, and when the male and female have 

 mated it is wholly extinguished." Others have called it non-lumi- 

 nous. So much sentiment and mystery have become associated with 

 the candle fly in the minds of the Chinese that the facts concerning 

 Itiminosity are still obscure. 



Miscellaneous Insects 



One of the most definite descriptions and yet a completely uncon- 

 firmed report of a luminous insect is due to Adam Afzelius (1750- 

 1837) a Swedish naturalist and demonstrator of Botany at Upsala; 

 later a scientific explorer of Sierra Leone, in 1792. He described a 

 beetle of the genus Paussus, which fell from the ceiling of his room 

 in Freetown, Sierra Leone, at dusk and was placed in a box. Afzelius 

 wrote in 1798: 



One evening going to look at it, and happening by chance to stand 

 between the light and the box, so that my shadow fell upon the insect, 

 I observed, to my great astonishment, the globes of the antennae, like 

 two lanterns, spreading a dim phosphoric light. This singular phe- 

 nomenon roused my curiosity, and after having examined it several 

 times that night, I resolved to repeat my researches the following day. 

 But the animal, being exhausted, died in the morning and the light 

 disappeared. 



The observation has never been confirmed. A luminous bacterial 

 infection is possible. 



A large number of insects other than beetles have been described 

 as luminous. The oldest recognizable case appears to be that of a 



