Glow-worm
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An illustration based on the real animal.
A little discovery to share.
The threads hanging from a glow-worm’s nest absorb moisture from the air.
THE REAL WORLD
The real Glow-worm
- Scientific name
- Arachnocampa richardsae
- Japanese name
- リチャーズヒカリキノコバエ（グローワーム）
- Group
- Insects
- Class
- Insecta
- Order
- Diptera
- Family
- Mycetophilidae
- Genus
- Arachnocampa
The glowing larvae are also called glow-worms.
An insect in the fly group that lives in dark, cool, damp places such as caves.
The larva lights up the tip of its body to lure small insects, then catches them on sticky threads and eats them.
The larvae glow, but pupae and adults do not. Adults eat nothing at all; they lay eggs and then their lives come to an end.
How the Glow-worm lives
The larvae build nests from mucus and silk. They usually stay almost still as they wait for prey inside their nests. They often repair their nests and replace damaged threads.
多摩動物公園Basic data
- Size
- Body length: males 10 mm, females 12 mm
- Lifespan
- males 2 weeks as an adult, females about 3 days as an adult
- Diet
- Small insects as larvae
- Range
- New South Wales, Australia
Where the Glow-worm 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
Names come from Wikidata and iNaturalist records. Where a language has no recorded name, we use the scientific name.
Sources and how we check
- 多摩動物公園 — リチャーズヒカリキノコバエ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.
The basic data are the values given in each source. They vary with how the animal is measured, whether it is male or female, and whether it lives in the wild or in captivity.
This page was translated from the original Japanese with the help of AI.
Report a mistakeWhen you meet the Glow-worm, look for this
- Look for round, clear droplets on older threads.
- Look for differences in the strength of the glow between larvae.
Animals do different things from day to day, so you may not always see this.
多摩動物公園EXHIBIT INFORMATION
Places that keep or show the Glow-worm
Zoos, aquariums and other places whose official websites say they keep or show this animal.
Kanto
Displays can change with the animals’ health and the seasons. Check each facility’s official website before you go.
RELATIVES
Others in Diptera
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