Ecology of colors of firefly bioluminescence.
Dark-active North American fireflies emit green bioluminescence and dusk-active species emit yellow, in general. Yellow light and yellow visual spectral sensitivity may be adaptations to increase the signal-to-noise (that is, foliage-reflected ambient light) ratio for sexual signaling during twilight. The peaks of the electroretinogram visual spectral sensitivities of four species tested, two dark- and two dusk-active, correspond with the peak of their bioluminescent emissions.
Lall
A B
AB
Seliger
H H
HH
Biggley
W H
WH
Lloyd
J E
JE