Nipponoluciola cruciata
Amazing fact
Genji firefly larvae dissolve freshwater snail flesh with digestive fluid and suck it up.
国土交通省 中国地方整備局
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An illustration based on the real animal.
A little discovery to share.
Genji firefly larvae dissolve freshwater snail flesh with digestive fluid and suck it up.
THE REAL WORLD
The real Nipponoluciola cruciata
- Scientific name
- Nipponoluciola cruciata
- Japanese name
- ゲンジボタル
- Group
- Insects
- Class
- Insecta
- Order
- Coleoptera
- Family
- Lampyridae
- Genus
- Nipponoluciola
Larvae eat freshwater snails; adults produce slow yellow-green flashes.
How the Nipponoluciola cruciata lives
The larvae spend the winter in that form and come onto land in spring. They burrow into the soil and become pupae. Adults emerge in early summer and fly glowing near rivers at night. Females glow while resting on leaves and wait for males.
多摩動物公園Where the Nipponoluciola cruciata has been recorded
Records: GBIF.org (CC0 and CC BY 4.0 records, retrieved 2026-11-07). Map: Natural EarthSee the records on GBIF
Watch wild animals from a distance. Do not touch or feed them, and take care of the places where they live.
Names around the world
- 日本語
- ゲンジボタル
- 한국어
- 겐지반딧불이
- Deutsch
- Genji-Glühwürmchen
Names come from Wikidata and iNaturalist records. Where a language has no recorded name, we use the scientific name.
Sources and how we check
- 福岡市 生物多様性ふくおかウェブセンター — ゲンジボタルChecked: 2026-11-03
- 国土交通省 中国地方整備局 — ゲンジボタルChecked: 2026-11-05
- 多摩動物公園 — ゲンジボタルChecked: 2026-11-03
We check each fact against its source. The illustrations simplify how the real animal looks.
The classification (class, order, family, genus) follows Wikidata records, checked against GBIF. Classifications can change as research goes on.
This page was translated from the original Japanese with the help of AI.
Report a mistakeWhen you meet the Nipponoluciola cruciata, look for this
- Look for the cross-shaped marking on the back of its thorax.
Animals do different things from day to day, so you may not always see this.
国土交通省 中国地方整備局EXHIBIT INFORMATION
Places that keep or show the Nipponoluciola cruciata
Zoos, aquariums and other places whose official websites say they keep or show this animal.
Kanto
- Adachi Park of Living Things夜の「ホタルの夕べ」は事前申込制。昼のホタル観賞会は主にヘイケボタル
Kyushu and Okinawa
- 北九州市ほたる館展示状況は公式サイトの「ホタル発光展示状況」で案内(2026年11月3日時点は今季終了)
Displays can change with the animals’ health and the seasons. Check each facility’s official website before you go.
RELATIVES
Others in Lampyridae
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