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Access through your institution Buy or subscribe The females in question are fireflies belonging to the genus _Photuris_. During firefly courtship, male fireflies flash their light organs in

a characteristic, species-specific manner. After a delay that also varies from species to species, the females flash once in reply. Eisner _et al_. knew that the cunning _Photuris_ female —

by faking the flash signal of females from another genus, _Photinus_ — can attract a _Photinus_ male, which she then traps and eats. But by analysing blood from satiated _Photuris_ females

(some of which could eat as many as six _Photinus_ males over several days), they found that the firefly gains more than a nutritional boost from her prey. This is a preview of subscription

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ACCESS OPTIONS: * Log in * Learn about institutional subscriptions * Read our FAQs * Contact customer support Authors * Allison Mitchell View author publications You can also search for this

author inPubMed Google Scholar RIGHTS AND PERMISSIONS Reprints and permissions ABOUT THIS ARTICLE CITE THIS ARTICLE Mitchell, A. Venus firefly traps. _Nature_ 389, 130 (1997).

https://doi.org/10.1038/38138 Download citation * Issue Date: 11 September 1997 * DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/38138 SHARE THIS ARTICLE Anyone you share the following link with will be able

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