Estimating Diet of the Fireflies on Valley Bottoms in Kawana Green Lung in Fujisawa City, based on Carbon and Nitrogen Stable Isotope Analysis

Abstract

This study aimed to estimate the diet of fireflies (Luciola cruciata and Luciola lateralis) on valley bottoms. Firefly and snail samples were collected from the Kawana green lung, in Fujisawa city. Stable isotope ratios of carbon and nitrogen (δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N) were determined for the fireflies and their possible food items. The estimated diet of the former firefly (L. cruciata) were snails in each sampling site. The stable isotope ratios for the firefly samples indicated relations between habitats of the imago and habitats of the larvae. The estimated diet of the latter firefly (L. lateralis) were not always snails.