In the dense forests of a land lost to time, a mesmerizing firefly species known as Photuris eusocialis once thrived. Their society, a delicate web of interdependent interactions, functioned through a highly evolved caste system, where each group communicated vital information to the others through distinct flash patterns. It was a society of light, long before humans conquered the flame and put lightning in a bottle, and it was a society of synchronized harmony.
At the core of this remarkable society was the Queen, her steady pulses serving as a beacon of authority and unity. Her flashes, regular in cadence as a rhythmic heartbeat, regulated the fireflies’ activities and maintained the smooth functioning of the colony. Each of her flashes initiated a critical cascade throughout the swarm, starting a new cycle of stimulated activity. It was through her guidance and consistency that P. eusocialis found purpose and direction. Without the queen, swarm activity would slow to a halt and eventually cease.
Dancing about the great Queen were the Royal Courtiers, her trusted advisors. Their swift and bright flashes conveyed messages of guidance and coordination. They played a crucial role in organizing the firefly society, ensuring that the resources were distributed efficiently and the colony worked in harmony. The Royal Courtiers elegantly flashed complicated shapes and patterns in the quiet periods between the Queen’s rhythm. Some were always integrating and encoding information from the rest of the swarm into distilled patterns, while others decoded these patterns and synthesized them into stories of light for the Queen to consume. She would subtly modulate her rhythm to meet the needs expressed by her Courtiers, understanding all.
Beyond the Courtiers, the Guardians patrolled the outskirts of the colony, their intermittent flickers serving as a warning system. Upon exposure to a predator, the Guardians could flash brighter than the rest of the colony, to disturb and frighten away wayward birds or curious raccoons. These bright flashes doubled as an alarm system, alerting the colony to the particular dangers with specific patterns for each potential enemy. The Guardians’ vigilance protected the colony and maintained the safety of their shared habitat.
Venturing further into the forest were the Foragers, tirelessly scouring the night for sources of sustenance. Their patterns of light conveyed essential information about the availability and quality of food sources. By following the flash train of another forager, Photuris eusocialis could easily exploit a nearby food resource and bring sufficient resources back to the Queen to maintain the swarm’s activity. In this way they developed a system of light-mediated stigmergy, illuminating pathways like airport runways through the forest for other foragers to follow.
Finally, the mysterious Luminae, distinguished by their unique and alluring flash patterns of polychromatic light, were responsible for the continuation of the species. Their displays served as an intricate language of courtship, attracting potential mates from near and far. Each Luminae possessed a distinct pattern, like a dazzling love letter written in flickering light, the differences spanning the full spectra of color sand brightness levels and timings. As Photuris eusocialis fireflies matured, some individuals underwent a remarkable transformation into the Luminae caste. These individuals could originally be from any caste, and the transformation could only happen in true darkness. This transformation was initiated by a special signal from the Queen: the Royal Courtiers would assess the status of the colony by integrating all the information from the Foragers and Guardians, deciding whether things were safe enough to reproduce, and inform the Queen, who would change the frequency of her signal, and the Luminae would emerge. Their bodies developed elongated and feathered antennae, which exuded pheromones that signaled their readiness for reproduction, and their abdomens subtly changed shape to perfectly attenuate to the capabilities required for their specific flash patterns. On the new moon of the warmest month of the year, the Luminae would gather in the traditional courting areas, deep in the darkest part of the woods, and build a beautifully coordinated symphony of pulsating lights. Each individual performed a mesmerizing dance, synchronized with the rhythms of their fellow Luminae. The air would be filled with a kaleidoscope of colors, a captivating spectacle as male and female Luminae spiraled their way through the darkness to find each other. A chimera of synchronization occurred as the males and females took turns drawing new patterns upon the dark canvas of night until they mated, laid eggs in the fertile soil, and died.
These eggs developed into larvae, continuing the life cycle of the eusocial firefly species. As the firefly eggs hatched, the larvae emerged, initially indistinguishable from one another. However, as they grew and underwent successive instar phases, subtle differentiations began to emerge, influenced by genetic factors and environmental cues. Each larva was capable of following any number of flexible developmental pathways that allowed for adaptation to specific needs of the colony.
Forager larvae, through a combination of genetic and environmental factors, underwent physiological changes that equipped them with enhanced sensory abilities, enabling them to locate and procure food efficiently. They developed elongated mandibles and specialized mouthparts, better suited for capturing and consuming prey such as small invertebrates, snails, and slugs. Guardian larvae developed enhanced exoskeletons, providing a sturdier physical defense against predators. Their bodies displayed strong aposematic coloration to reveal the noxious chemicals produced in excess by their abdomens, aiding in their role as protectors of the colony. Royal Courtiers were typically drawn closer to the Queen’s rhythmic light during their larval stage: these fireflies grew up in close proximity to the the constant beat of the light and developed an attenuated sense of polyrhythm and syncopation, enabling them to smoothly flash in and during the off beats of the Queen’s pulse to keep their messages clear. And finally the Queen: each colony was organized by only one Queen, whose rhythms were in turn modulated by those of her Courtiers, and the same was true for the larval development stage. Whichever larva emerged first from the warm soil would be scooped up by adult Royal Courtiers and placed directly onto the abdomen of the adult Queen. With each glow of the Queen’s bioluminescent purpose the larva was bathed in light, over and over again until the rhythm of the colony was fully entrained into the mind of the larva, and the soft exoskeleton is blanched a dull white color. For the Queen never leaves the larval form, growing larger and larger yet remaining the same.
As time passed, the encroachment of human development threatened the delicate balance of the firefly society. Light pollution disrupted their communication, causing confusion and disarray among the castes. Habitat loss deprived the fireflies of their traditional foraging grounds and mating grounds, diminishing the resources they depended upon. There was no longer enough true darkness to facilitate the transformation into Luminae, and over time the development of this caste was shunted, diminished, and lost. Without the Luminae, the species entered its final generation, doomed to die in the approaching light.
The foragers, unable to find sufficient nourishment, were the first to vanish. Their flashes became sporadic and feeble, struggling to convey the dwindling availability of food, before disappearing entirely. Without their nutritious cargo, the Queen could not maintain her rhythm, slowing down and missing beats, and the organization of the swarm crumbled around her. Guardians left, seeking new grounds; the Royal Courtiers, without the main beat, flashed less and less until they landed upon the soft moss and were silent.
The Queen, the pulsating heart of the swarm, flashed until the bitter end. Weakened and confused by the light, her arrhythmia grew until her abdomen burst. From it spilled thousands and thousands of sparkling stars, explosive fireworks of luciferin-luciferase instruments burning up with too much exposure to the world’s oxygen, before the Photuris eusocialis went dark. In the light of the new streetlamps, of the car headlights and porchlights left on, it is impossible to tell the difference.
But those of us that venture deep into the forests can still find Photuris eusocialis, living where humanity has not yet touched their trails with light. We can sit, with our eyes open and our lights turned off, to watch the coordinated dance of a thriving society, propagating and sharing information in dizzying synchrony. And we can dream of a world that wonders, a world still inspirited enough to gasp at their beauty and seek to protect it. For in dreams, we can make the world as dark as we wish, perhaps even dark enough for Photuris eusocialis to make their final transformation, to unfurl their feathered, fairy-like antennae and draw ephemeral shapes of bioluminescence in the peaceful air.