ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an overview of recent advances in the study of luminous insects. Right after publishing a comprehensive review entitled ‘Environmental Aspects of Insect Bioluminescence’ by K.H. Hoffmann (Hoffmann 1984), beetle luciferase genes were isolated for the fi rst time from the North American fi refl y Photinus pyralis in 1985 and 1987 (de Wet et al. 1985, 1987), and then from both the Japanese fi refl y Luciola cruciata in 1989 (Masuda et al. 1989, Tatsumi et al. 1989) and the Jamaican luminous click beetle Pyrophorus plagiophthalmus in 1989 (Wood et al. 1989). Subsequently, cDNAs for beetle luciferase have been cloned from over 30 species in Lampyridae, Phengodidae, Rhagophthalmidae, and Elateridae, and these genes are currently utilized in various biotechnological applications, such as reporter assay and DNA sequencing methodology. Accumulating nucleotide and amino acid sequences for beetle luciferases promoted functional and evolutional investigations on bioluminescence in beetles. The earliest molecular phylogenetic analysis of fi refl ies was conducted using 16S ribosomal DNA in 1997 (Suzuki 1997). After that, several analyses using other molecular markers and more taxa have been performed, and the results have been made available for further discussion
Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences, Nagoya University, Nagoya 464-8601, Japan. Email: oba@agr.nagoya-u.ac.jp
on the evolution of bioluminescence. In contrast to the remarkable progress with luminous beetles, however, molecular studies on bioluminescent insects other than beetles are still limited. Luciferase (or photoprotein) genes have yet to be identifi ed from any luminous springtails or fungus gnats, including even the well-known cave glowworm Arachnocampa.
