Orfelia fultoni, Anna Ruby Falls Recreation Area, Chattahoochee National Forest, White County, Georgia 5

This is the only bioluminescent fungus gnat larvae in North America. Both whitish ends of the larvae emit a blue light used to lure prey. Although they may be common in proper habits, apparently there are very few places in the southeast where they form extensive colonies. One place is Dismal Canyon in Alabama where they are locally called "dismalites". I was invited by my friends who work for the Chattahoochee National Forest to view and photograph the extensive colony at Anna Ruby Falls Recreation Area. Locally the event is called "fox fire" and there are scheduled night hikes to witness the amazing colony. Other than the guided night hikes, after hours entry into the area is prohibited.

Fungus gnat larvae live within a slime tube and develop a network of sticky filaments that capture prey that are attracted by the blue glow. The sticky filaments can be seen in the photos.

For more information:
www.dismalscanyon.com/dismalites/index.html
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orfelia_fultoni
www.helenga.org/events/foxfire-night-hikes-3

Taken on: June 25, 2014

Tags:

Orfelia fultoni

Anna Ruby Falls Recreation Area

Chattahoochee National Forest

Sets appears in: • Insects

Camera: Canon PowerShot G10, f/8.0, 1/400 sec, 10.8mm, ISO 80 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Canon PowerShot G10
Lens:	6.1-30.5 mm
Aperture:	f/8.0
Exposure Time:	0.003 sec (1/400)
Focal Length:	10.8mm
ISO:	80
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	On, Did not fire
Exposure Mode:	Manual
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Manual
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	Adobe Photoshop Elements 12.0 Windows
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