hing hoi (หิ่งห้อย)

Thai. ‘Firefly’. Generic name for a type of winged beetle in the family Lampyridae, commonly known as lightning bug, firefly and glowworm, due to the chemically produced light that this species emits from its lower abdomen, a feature it has in order to attract a mate or prey. The larvae of fireflies are usually of a single colour, which distinguish them from net-winged beetles, similarly known in Thai as hing hoi chang, which are orange-brown and black in colour (fig.). Females of many species never leave the larval form, which usually consists of a flattened body with a heavy armour of large dorsal scales. 回