Do you know how fireflies woo their partners? They dine by candlelight but also with a good perfume!
Until now, it was believed that the night species of fireflies seek each ther out exclusively by light (bioluminescence), which has completely replaced the pheromones common in most insects. However, a new study by our team has shown for the first time that pheromones still play a key role in their reproductive behaviour. This discovery changes a fundamental assumption about fireflies and is particularly important for understanding the evolution of bioluminescence in these beetles.
You can read about it in Živá universita magazine (in Czech)