title: Temperature dependence of the flash duration of the firefly Luciola praeusta.
abstract: Firefly flashing has attracted the attention of both poets and scientists for over a century. Here we study the effect of temperature on the flash duration of the Indian species of the firefly Luciola praeusta Kiesenwetter 1874 (Coleoptera: Lampyridae: Luciolinae). Recording in vivo time-resolved spectra of specimens of this species of firefly over the temperature range 20 °C-40 °C, it is observed that the flash duration changes with the change in temperature, and the change is substantially linear. This finding implies that the speed of the enzyme-catalysed chemiluminescence reaction, which produces the light of the firefly, varies linearly with temperature.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, Gauhati University, Guwahati-781014, India. agohainbarua@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Upamanyu
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Sharma
authors.forename: Angana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Goswami
authors.forename: Mridusmita
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Phukan
authors.forename: Subhash
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chandra Rajbongshi
authors.forename: Anurup
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gohain Barua
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D048888:Fireflies / Q000502:physiology*; D016014:Linear Models; D049449:Luminescence; D008297:Male; D013057:Spectrum Analysis; D013696:Temperature; D013997:Time Factors