In vivo emission and time-resolved spectra of firefly Luciola praeusta Kiesenwetter 1874 (Coleoptera : Lampyridae : Luciolinae) have been recorded. The emission spectrum shows the FWHM value for this particular species to be 55 nm, which is significantly narrower than the in vivo half widths reported till now. The time-resolved spectrum reveals that a flash, of duration about a hundred milliseconds, is in fact composed of a number of microsecond pulses. This result suggests that the speed of the enzymecatalysed chemiluminescence reaction in the firefly for the emission of light is much faster than is believed to be.

Firefly flashing has attracted the attention of both poets and scientists for over a century. Here we study the effect of temperature on the flash duration of the Indian species of the firefly Luciola praeusta Kiesenwetter 1874 (Coleoptera: Lampyridae: Luciolinae). Recording in vivo time-resolved spectra of specimens of this species of firefly over the temperature range 20 °C-40 °C, it is observed that the flash duration changes with the change in temperature, and the change is substantially linear. This finding implies that the speed of the enzyme-catalysed chemiluminescence reaction, which produces the light of the firefly, varies linearly with temperature.

Firefly flashing has been the subject of numerous scientific investigations. Here we present in vivo flashes from male specimens of three species of fireflies-two Japanese species Luciola cruciata, Luciola lateralis and one Indian species Luciola praeusta-positioned under a superconducting magnet. When the OFF state of the firefly becomes long after flashing in an immobile state under the strong static magnetic field of strength 10 Tesla for a long time, which varies widely from species to species as well as from specimen to specimen, the effect of the field becomes noticeable. The flashes in general are more rapid, and occasionally overlap to produce broad compound flashes. We present the broadest flashes recorded to date, and propose that the strong static magnetic field affects the neural activities of fireflies, especially those in the spent up or 'exhausted' condition.

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Numerous investigations have been carried out on the spectral distribution of the light of different species of fireflies. Here we record the emission spectrum of the Indian species of the firefly Luciola praeusta Kiesenwetter 1874 (Coleoptera : Lampyridae : Luciolinae) on a color film. Green and red color-sectors, with an intense yellow one in between, appear in this spectrum. Intensity profile of this spectrum reveals a hitherto undetected strong narrow yellow line, which lies within the full-width-at-half maximum (FWHM) of the intensity profile. The spectrum recorded in a high-resolution spectrometer confirms the presence of this sharp intense line. This finding lends support to an earlier drawn analogy between the in vivo emission of the firefly and laser light.

Fourier transform infrared and Fourier transform Raman spectra of the kernel of the cashew nut (Anacardium occidentale) are presented. Based on the correlations with the infrared spectra of its individual components and other compounds already published, assignments of the observed bands have been done. The infrared spectrum is shown to be very similar to that of triolein, a triglyceride of oleic acid a characteristic useful in reducing the low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol level of the person consuming it.

The effects of a pulsed train magnetic field (PMF) and 10-T order of static magnetic fields on firefly bioluminescence were investigated on two species, Luciola cruciata and Luciola lateralis. Strong static magnetic field exposure experiments were carried out with a time-resolved spectroscopy, and the firefly bioluminescence spectrum showed a redshift in the range of 540–580nm when the firefly emitted pulses under the 10-T magnetic field. Separately from this effect, a transient decrease in the firefly’s emission intensity was observed right after being exposed to the static magnetic fields of up to 10 T. On the other hand, the utilized PMFs stimulated and enhanced the bioluminescence of Luciola cruciata. The PMF with 250–325 T/s at 1.3–10 Hz increased both the firefly’s pulsed density and frequency. It was speculated that the magnetically induced current inside the firefly affected its nervous system or the photochemical processes in the light producing organ, while the diamagnetic torque forces, which were induced by the 10 T order of the static field, had an inhibitory effect on the bioluminescence system.

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