THE lights of adult fireflies are designed to lure a mate. But the eerie
glow of their larvae—glow-worms—is a warning to potential predators
such as mice, say scientists at the University of Delaware.
In the Journal of Insect Behavior (vol 10, p 365), Douglas Tallamay
and his colleagues report that mice are repelled by the taste of glow-worms. And
they could train the rodents to avoid a bitter concoction by associating it with
flashes of light.
This suggests that mice can learn to steer clear of glow-worms, says
Tallamay.
