Lightning Bugs
Lightning Bugs are large insects with a portion of their abdomen taken up by a phosphorescent organ which they are able to consciously control. They are closely related to fireflies of the genus Photinus, and one of the four sapient species on the planet.
Lightning Bugs have a natural affinity for magic performed on the Dark-Light Continuum, and most Lightning Bug cultures have rituals, traditions, and even religious practices formed around this kind of magic. The vast majority of Lightning Bugs who interact with other sapient species use Light-based communication magic to communicate, as they are not naturally capable of producing the sounds with which other species habitually communicate.
Basic Information
Anatomy
Lightning Bugs are insects, and like all insects, their bodies consist of a head, thorax, and abdomen with three pairs of jointed limbs and two pairs of highly modified wings. The bodies are covered in a hard exoskeleton of chitin, and they breathe through spiracles, or specialized openings in their exoskeletons, which allows oxygen to diffuse throughout their body.
For the most part, adult Lightning Bugs are bipedal, and walk on their last pair of legs. However, larval Lightning Bugs are almost entirely hexapedal, walking on all six limbs. The transition from hexapedal to bipedal locomotion can be difficult to adjust to, and most Lightning Bugs struggle to walk easily in the first few months after pupation, and may crawl hexapedally during this adjustment period.
Like most insects, Lightning Bug mouths consist of a pair of mandibles, a pair of maxillae, and a labium. These structures are unable to form the same sounds as the other sapient species, and so Lightning Bugs cannot communicate in human or Ground Owl languages without magical assistance.
Instead, audible Lightning Bug communication consists of rubbing together certian parts of the wings, which have been heavily modified to produce a wide variety of hums, buzzes, clicks, thumps and chimes. Both the forewings and hindwings are hardened and heavily modified with ridges and other structures which produce notably different sounds when struck or scraped in different ways.
Lightning Bugs have an organ in the final segments of the abdomen which are the phosphorescent, light-producing organ. In females, only the final segment contains the organ, but in males, the last three segments are all part of it. Male phosphorences is brighter and much more colorful than female phosphorescence. In addition to auditory communication using the wings, many Lightning Bug cultures use flashing of their abdomen as long-distance communication, although they do not usually constitute a true language, rather a cipher of their native languages.
Genetics and Reproduction
Before the evolution of sapience, it is believed that Lightning Bug males would perform flights while flashing certain patterns of light from their abdomens in order to attract the attention of females. Nowadays, after the loss of natural flight, most Lightning Bugs have a more socially-focus method of finding partners, although large, bright light organs are still considered attractive to most Lightning Bugs.
Fertilization occurs internally. The female Lightning Bug will lay her eggs withing a few hours of fertilization occurring. A mother Lightning Bug may lay up to 50 eggs in a single clutch; however, 12-15 is much more common, and relatively few of these eggs will last to hatching. The eggs themselves glow faintly, and will hatch into larvae after about 10 weeks.
Growth Rate & Stages
Lightning Bug larvae are hatched less than a tenth of the size of adults, and are long and flat, brown in color, with many segmented sections. The edges of the segments often appear spiky or pointed. Like adults, their abdomens have a phosphorescent organ, and as they age, the larvae learn to consciously control their flashing patterns. Although larvae are capable of understanding Lightning Bug speech, they do not possess wings, and so generally do not begin to produce language until after pupation. Young larvae grow rapidly, and will shed their skins many times before the age of about 6-8 years old, at which point they become pupae.
At the beginning of the pupal stage, Lightning Bug larvae will take on a supine position with the abdomen curled over their body and thorax. Over the next 24 hours, the outer layer of chitin on the larva will stiffen and turn white. For the next 1-2 years, the pupa undergoes complete metamorphosis, changing into an adult form. During this time period, pupae are completely immobile and insensate, unresponsive to all external stimuli.
Lightning Bug emerge from their pupae as fully sexually mature adults at around the age of 7-10 years old, depending on ethnicity and various genetic factors, though they are rarely considered truly adult until much, much later in life. Adults generally molt once every 2-3 years, as the old carapace becomes worn.
Dietary Needs and Habits
Lightning Bugs are omnivorous, both as larvae and as adults. Larvae eat a great deal more than adults, as they are building up reserves for their pupation, during which they will not eat at all. As a general rule, Lightning Bugs have a fondness for sweets, and greatly enjoy honey, juices, and nectar.
Additional Information
Social Structure
Like humans, Lightning Bugs have a very complex social structure. Although the specifics of it vary from region to region, Lightning Bugs seem to favor hierarchical, centralized power structures and prefer to live in large communities.
Geographic Origin and Distribution
Lightning Bug evolution, like most insect evolution, is difficult to trace, since small-bodied animals like insects do not readily preserve in the fossil record. The oldest known Lightning Bug ancestral fossil is only about 2.3 million years old, and already displays a number of traits associated with anatomically modern Lightning Bugs, including an upright posture in adulthood, tool use, and sound-producing wing structures. It is currently believe that Lightning Bugs first evolved in the open woodlands of (NorthernSubcontinent), and spread south and east across (Supercontinent). They eventually spread to (Continent) via land bridges during the last glacial maximum.
Average Intelligence
Lightning Bugs are one of the four sapient species on the planet, and are just as intelligent as humans, Salamanders, and Ground Owls.
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
Lightning Bugs have excellent hearing, though like most insects, their compound eyes provide fairly poor resolution, despite the wide range of perception afforded to them. They have a specialized area in their eyes called the fovea, which allows for slightly more acute vision directly in front of them. This is a relic of their flight-capable evolutionary ancestors, but now allows Lightning Bugs to better manipulate tools. However, their poor vision is likely responsible for the fact that no Lightning Bug culture has ever independently created a writing system.
Civilization and Culture
Common Dress Code
Lightning Bug clothing is almost always loose and roomy in the back, allowing for the free movement of the wings in order to communicate.
Scientific Name
Photinus sophos
Lifespan
67 years
Average Height
18-29 cm (7-11.5 in)
Average Weight
595-907 g (1.3-2 lb)
Body Tint, Colouring and Marking
Adult Lightning Bugs have primarily black carapaces, with markings on the dorsal side of the head and thorax, and gold markings along the edges of their forewings. The sizes and shapes of these markings vary by ethnic group.
Geographic Distribution
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