Eyed Elater Glowworm vs Scaly Cricket

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Eyed Elater Glowworm Scaly Cricket
Scientific Name Phengodes fusciceps Pseudomogoplistes vicentae
Order Coleoptera Orthoptera
Family Phengodidae Mogoplistidae
Size 15-25 mm (females) 7-11mm
Habitat Woodlands Beaches & Coastal
Diet Omnivores Omnivores
Regions Eastern United States Europe
Conservation Least Concern Endangered

Eyed Elater Glowworm

A railroad worm beetle whose larviform females emit light from paired organs along the body. Males are short-lived, winged, and do not glow.

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Did You Know?

Females produce both green light from their body segments and red light from their head, resembling a tiny railroad train at night.

Scaly Cricket

A tiny wingless cricket covered in iridescent scales. It lives on shingle beaches above the high-tide line. It is extremely secretive, hiding under pebbles during the day.

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Did You Know?

It is one of the rarest insects in Britain, found on only a handful of shingle beaches.