this post was submitted on 26 Jul 2023
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Te Upoko o te Ika a Māui / Wellington

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Glow Worms at Otari-Wilton Bush (www.owbt.nz)
submitted 1 year ago by happy_piwakawaka to c/wellington
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Possibly a little known / under appreciated gem in our city.

Did an unofficial (you can pay for guided tours) glow worm walk this evening in Otari-Wilton Bush - organized via my kids Childspace. I've lived nearby for years, and walked those trails many times without realizing that they were there.

We walked a short walk from the Northern carpark and all along the trail there were hundreds of glow worms right on the trail banks. I've never seen so many, so close (aside from Waitomo). Would definitely recommend for those with kids or anyone really.

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[–] Axisential 3 points 1 year ago

Some fun GlowWorm facts for you to amaze the kids next time you go:

  • they're not really a worm, but the larval stage of a flying insect called a Fungus Gnat
  • the scientific name is Arachnocampa luminosa, which means (broadly) "Glowing Spider Worm"
  • each GlowWorm has 30-50 sticky threads that hang down which are literally used as fishing lines. Other flying insects are attracted to the light and get stuck in the threads
  • the glow is produced by a chemical reaction between an enzyme called luciferase and a substrate called luciferin. These are produced by the GlowWorms and stored in a little sac right at the back end of their body
  • there are 8-10 different species of GlowWorm found in NZ and Australia, but A. luminosa is unique to NZ