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Night lights: The wonders of bioluminescent millipedes
The wavelike gait of the millipede Motyxia sequoiae. This unique locomotion in millipedes, called a metachronal gait, occurs when the legs ripple in a wave along the length of the body from tail to head. The video was recorded under ultraviolet light as the millipede's exoskeleton was simultaneously fluorescent and bioluminescent.
Credit: Paul Marek, Entomology Department, Virginia Tech and Owen Bissell, Fast + Light Productions, San Francisco, CA (fastandlightproductions.com)
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An aggregation of individuals in the species Motyxia sequoiae in Sequoia National Park. Motyxia are the only known bioluminescent millipedes, and are found solely in a small region of the Sierra Nevada mountain range in California.
Credit: Paul Marek, Entomology Department, Virginia Tech and Owen Bissell, Fast + Light Productions, San Francisco, CA (fastandlightproductions.com)
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Bioluminescence from the millipede Motyxia sequoiae from California. "There's something inherently magical, even surreal, about seeing hundreds of glowing millipedes scattered across the ground of a sequoia grove on a moonless night in Sequoia National Park," says researcher Paul Marek.
Credit: Paul Marek, Entomology Department, Virginia Tech
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The bioluminescent jellyfish Aequorea victoria is the source of green fluorescent protein. In addition to advancing our understanding of the history of life, studies of the bioluminescence of various types of organisms have implications for fields ranging from national defense to medicine.
Credit: Sierra Blakely, Wikimedia Commons
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Top: Millipede Motyxia photographed in natural light. Bottom: Photographed entirely with light from bioluminescence. Animal is an adult about 25 mm. long.
Credit: Paul Marek, Entomology Department, Virginia Tech
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