Overview

• Researchers in Taiwan documented Psechrus clavis leaving captured fireflies alive and glowing in webs for up to an hour while intermittently checking them.
• Field experiments that added LED lights mimicking firefly bioluminescence drew three times more total prey to webs than controls.
• When counting only fireflies, LED‑equipped webs captured about ten times more individuals, most of them males likely seeking mates.
• Video showed spiders immediately consuming moths but delaying consumption of fireflies, indicating prey-specific handling and potential use of bioluminescent cues.
• The study was conducted at National Taiwan University’s Xitou Nature Educational Area and published in the Journal of Animal Ecology (DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.70102), with authors noting LEDs were a necessary proxy for real fireflies.