Slashdot Mirror
Volcano May Have Killed Off New Bioluminescent Cockroach
terrancem writes "A newly discovered light-producing cockroach, Lucihormetica luckae, may have already been driven to extinction by a volcanic eruption in Ecuador. The species, only formally described by scientists this year, hasn't been spotted since the Tungurahua Volcano erupted in July 2010. The new species was notable because it represented the only known case of mimicry by bioluminescence in a land animal. Like a venomless king snake beating its tail to copy the unmistakable warning of a rattlesnake, Lucihormetica luckae's bioluminescent patterns are nearly identical to the poisonous click beetle, with which it shares (or shared) its habitat."
could be killed off by a puny volcano!
Set your phasers on "funky"!
I thought there were certain species of fireflies that mimicked the patterns of other sub-species to lure unsuspecting victim fireflies to eat. Is there some special reason this doesn't count?
They were doomed to failure, anyway.
Their own lights kept scaring them under the refrigerator 24/7!
-- You are in a maze of little, twisty passages, all different... --
Why would a creature evolve to copy the rattlesnake's warning if nothing could mistake it for the real thing.
Lady rattlers?
Comment removed based on user account deletion
see there was an obvious use for this species we're not going to get now.
We could have imported this roach and turned it lose in the US. I know what you're thinking, last thing we need is ANOTHER type of roach in the US. Well, should these things inter-breed with native roaches and spread their glowing genes they would more easily be detected in the dark making their light the glowing beacon that attracts their own demise.
I foresee a day when we will have roach hunting nano bots fueled by the very roaches they kill. Bioluminescence would have been just one more factor these bots, birds, bats, and the occasional shoe could have used to help hunt these creatures once their gene pool was poisoned by a virtual laser painting.
The preceding post was not a Slashvertisement.
That depends, theoretically it's possible that a new species was stillborn.
When the world is ready : Laser cockroaches. The old ones died of inchoerence.
Seriously: It's discovery seems like a break-through and no one thought about catching a few alive ones to study them in a laboratory?
I mean, "Oh, shiny! Let's catch a few!" is so obvious...
Why would a creature evolve to copy the rattlesnake's warning if nothing could mistake it for the real thing.
Because things do mistake it for the real thing? In terms of energy(and evolution is nothing if not the battle for energy, and of course, becoming energy) poison production is pretty expensive. Thats why a rattlesnake prefers to rattle, and will only bite either to kill prey or when it thinks it has no other way of defending itself, thus it evolved the rattle in addition to it's venom. Shaking its tail a few times is a hell of lot cheaper than biting(not to mention it takes time for the poison to replenish).
However mimics have found an even more efficient way to scare away potential predators, keep the scare tactics but ditch the poison production. Best of both worlds!
Monstar L
I was going to say they could have used these cockroaches in NYC when Hurricane Sandy hit, and the lights went out. Of course on the west coast, an emergency roach is something else entirely.
-- I ignore anonymous replies to my comments and postings.
King snakes don't have rattles on their tail, but will shake their tails in the same manner. In a pile of dry leaves, it sounds pretty convincing.
Perhaps they should have evolved some sort of force field instead.
Lived in Florida for a time, where they have six inch long cockroaches that fly. They were horrible, until I got a ferret. Apparently ferrets think that roaches are great toys, and when the toy breaks they're great snacks. Now whether the ferret is less of a nuisance than the roaches is another question entirely . . .
"Think about how stupid the average person is. Now, realise that half of them are dumber than that." - George Carlin