---
title: "European Glow-worm"
description: "Lampyris noctiluca — Insects & spiders. Lampyris noctiluca, the common glowworm of Europe (see also \"glowworm\"), is the type species of beetle in the genus Lampyris and the family Lampyridae."
canonical: https://animalchecklist.com/animal/european-glow-worm
last_updated: 2026-09-20
---

# European Glow-worm

> Lampyris noctiluca — Insects & spiders. Lampyris noctiluca, the common glowworm of Europe (see also "glowworm"), is the type species of beetle in the genus Lampyris and the family Lampyridae.

- Scientific name: *Lampyris noctiluca*
- Category: `insects` (Insects & spiders)
- Habitats: `grassland` (Fields & meadows)
- iNaturalist observations: 16043
- Wikidata: [Q852831](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q852831)
- iNaturalist taxon: [143617](https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/143617)

## Names

- en: European Glow-worm
- de: Großer Leuchtkäfer
- es: Luciérnaga europea
- fr: Ver luisant commun
- nl: Grote glimworm
- pl: Świetlik świętojański

## Countries with the most observations

FR (3100), DE (1503), GB (1488), FI (1178), AT (798), RU (521), CH (461), IT (344), BE (320), CZ (318), HU (284), SE (197)

## Summary

Lampyris noctiluca, the common glowworm of Europe (see also "glowworm"), is the type species of beetle in the genus Lampyris and the family Lampyridae.
Lampyris noctiluca presents conspicuous sexual dimorphism. The males are winged, with brown elytra, a clearer pronotum and a large brown spot in the middle, while females are larviform, with no wings, and they are often twice the size of the males (up to 25 millimetres (1 in) in length).
These beetles use their bioluminescence to attract mates. The adult females are mostly famed for their glow, although all stages of their life cycle are capable of glowing.
In Britain…

Text: Wikipedia (en), CC BY-SA 4.0 — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lampyris_noctiluca

## Photo

![European Glow-worm](https://animalchecklist.com/img/animals/european-glow-worm/medium.jpg)

Photo: Boza48 · CC0 · inaturalist — https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/304887781

## Machine access

`GET https://animalchecklist.com/api/v1/animals/european-glow-worm?lang=en` — see [openapi.json](https://animalchecklist.com/openapi.json).