Common Firefly
 | |
| Class | Insect |
| Rarity | Common |
| Size | Tiny |
| Stats |
1 HP - Strength - Defense - Agility - Intelligence |
Habitat
Eden
Description
Fireflies are small insects known for their ability to produce light. The average length of a firefly's body is approximately between 5 and 25 millimeters.
They usually have an elongated body, which appears similar to the body of many other beetles. The body has soft elytra that cover their wings in order to protect them. The color of the firefly's skin often varies from dark brown shades to a black or gray color. Like most insects, the firefly's body is divided into 3 parts: the head, the thorax and the abdomen.
The head has 2 large black eyes and 2 antennae, quite short and thick, which they use to sense what is happening in their environment. The legs and wings are located in the middle of the body. Although they have wings, they cannot fly very high or fast, since the proportions between wings and body make the latter quite heavy for the wings.
The abdomen of the firefly is what this little creature is known for, because it is where the part of the firefly that can produce light is located. They have a special organ in their abdomen for this purpose. In general, fireflies are found in different parts of Eden. They do have a few specific preferences for their living environment.
They can be found in tropical places, forests, grasslands and fields, swamps and wet areas and close to water.
Behaviour
Fireflies exhibit special behavior. They produce light in various colors through a chemical reaction in their abdomen, a process called bioluminescence.
This luminous behavior is mainly used for communication between males and females during the mating season. Male fireflies emit light signals to attract females, and females respond with light signals to indicate their readiness to mate. In addition, fireflies use their light to deter predators. Some species of fireflies produce light with a bitter taste, making them less attractive to predators.
In general, the behavior of fireflies varies depending on the species and the specific environment they live in, but bioluminescence always plays a crucial role in their survival and reproduction. As adult insects, fireflies usually have no functional mouthparts and do not ingest food during their short lifespan. In this phase they mainly survive on the energy reserves they have built up as larvae. The larvae of fireflies, on the other hand, are active hunters.
They usually feed on small prey, such as snails, worms and other insect’s larvae. Some firefly larvae are more predatory than others and can produce toxins to immobilize their prey. These larvae usually have sharp jaws to grab and digest their prey.
The fact that firefly larvae are active hunters and do not eat adult fireflies has to do with the adults' focus on reproduction and finding a suitable mate. Their short adult lifespan is mainly devoted to producing offspring through their mating rituals.
Abilities
Fireflies aren’t aggressive insects. They don’t really attack others nor do they behave aggressively toward humans and other animals. However, there are some natural defenses and other types of behavior that may look like aggression. A firefly has toxins or chemicals in its body. These usually are used to distaste or intoxicate possible predators. It’s not really an attack, but more of a defense mechanism. When a firefly is still a larva they use their light to attract prey while hunting.
Anyway, none of these defenses harm small or larger creatures.
Drops
Killing a large amount of fireflies may drop an amount of the bioluminescence they use to create light. This chemical can mostly be used for a variety of potions or to make torches or lanterns lit up without fire (therefore less dangerous).
Other than that, a firefly can be collected in a jar. You can for example use it as decoration.