Brightest bioluminescence
- Who
- Fire beetle, Pyrophorus noctilucus
- What
- 45 millilamberts total number
- Where
- Not Applicable
- When
- 1978
A type of click beetle, the fire beetle (Pyrophorus noctilucus) has the brightest bioluminescence of any creature on Earth measured to date. With a brightness of 45 millilamberts, or 143 candela per square metre (as bright as a modern single-LED torch), the insect is visible over great distances. There are two dots on the beetle's head and one on its abdomen, which is only visible when it is flying. The beetle is typically 4.4 cm (1.75 in) long and lives in the tropical regions of the Americas.