fireflies on STT?

No.

Hmmm...OK, I didn't think so. In which case, what kind of flying, bioluminescent critters exist here?

I've been fishing at night for the better part of a year and tonight is the first time I've seen them. They were in the woods at Neltjeberg just off the beach. They seemed larger and faster than the fireflies I'm familiar with and able to stay lit up longer. One of them stayed lit up for what seemed like 30 seconds. For the most part, they stayed within 8 to 10 feet of the ground but I did see a few fly up into the trees perhaps 20 feet off the ground. I was 20 to 25 feet from them and, no, I don't drink.

What the heck were they?

Glow worms?

There are Fire Flies on STX. Stay at Mount Victory and you cant miss them. I never stayed in the woods on STT. So I did not see any there. Lights make them hard to see. Are there any camps on STT, I would like to stay there if there were.

I haven't seen any campgrounds on STT but there are certainly nice places to camp. You'll want a 4-wheel drive to get you into some of the safer spots.

After searching around a bit online, my best guess - and that's all it is at this point, a guess - is that I saw some form of click beetle maybe the West Indian Fire Beetle or Cucujo Beetle. Very cool!

There's some interesting reading on the net regarding the Cucujo Beetle. One source stated that 40 of them in a jar put out the equivalent of a 60-Watt bulb. Another source stated that Cuban women will wear them in nets in their hair.

Gonna go back and check them out again tonight and see if I can catch one. Might be a challenge though. When I turned my light on, they turned theirs off!

For any other science junkies that may be out there...

Pyrophorus noctilucus (Coleoptera: Elateridae)

This is the largest (4cm, 1¾") bioluminescent insect and it has been reported as having the greatest surface brightness, 45 millilamberts (or 1/40 of a candle). The light emitted from the 2 spots on the thorax is actually bright enough to read by (if you hold the beetle close to the lines that you are reading that is).

The beetles are common in forested areas and can be seen flying around just after dusk. The sight of several beetles winding through the trees is quite spectacular. The flight season is from April through June.

Link to photo:

I don't think I'd want a bunch of bugs lighting up my hair, but I'm weird that way. 🙁 Interesting reading, though I've never seen them, at least when they were glowing. I'll google & see if I can find a picture.

aussie: Did you try contacting anyone at UVI? Very interesting. Are you saying it IS Pyrophorus? And doesn't that sound like the name of a character in a Harry Potter book?

East Ender,

No, I don't have a positive ID yet - just my best guess. I left a message with the university science dept and I'm waiting for a return call. I planned catch one of the little buggers last night but rain showers at dusk stopped me. I plan to try again tonight and I'll let you know what I find out.

When I first spotted them, I had my chair faced out to sea. I promptly stopped fishing (that says a lot!) and spun my chair around to watch the woods. The woods at Neltjeberg are very dark. These critters are very bright. I never had more than 6 or 8 of them visible at any one time but it was quite a display.

Yes, the click beetle in the picture does live here on STT. My boys caught one a couple of weeks ago. and they are quite bright! Very Cool!