List of bioluminescent organisms

Omphalotus nidiformis

A bioluminescent mushroom ...

...glowing with the lights off.

Firefly (species unknown) with and without flash.

Foxfire in the fungus Panellus stipticus

Blue ocean glow caused by myriad tiny organisms, such as Noctiluca.

Noctiluca scintillans, a bioluminescent dinoflagellate

Bioluminescence is the production of light by living organisms. This list of bioluminescent organisms is organized by environment, covering terrestrial, marine and microorganisms.

Terrestrial animals

• certain arthropods
  • fireflies
  • click beetle specific type
  • glow worms
    • railroad worms
  • certain mycetophilid flies
  • certain centipedes such as Geophilus carpophagus^[1]
  • certain millipedes such as Motyxia^[2]
• a terrestrial mollusc (a tropical land snail)
  • Quantula striata
• annelids

Marine animals

Fish

• Anglerfish (actually symbiotic bacteria)
• Cookiecutter shark^[3]
• Catshark^[4]
• Flashlight fish
• Gulper eel
• Lanternfish
• Marine hatchetfish
• Midshipman fish
• Pineconefish
• Viperfish
• Black dragonfish

Invertebrates

Artist's rendering of Antarctic krill

• Many cnidarians
  • Sea pens
  • coral
  • Aequorea victoria, a jellyfish
• Certain Ctenophores or "comb jellies"
• Certain echinoderms (e.g. Ophiurida)
• Certain crustaceans
  • Ostracods
  • Copepods
  • Krill
• Two species of chaetognaths
• Certain molluscs
  • Certain clams, bivalves
  • Certain nudibranchs, sea slugs
  • few sea snails, such as Hinea brasiliana
  • The only land snail: Quantula striata, the only freshwater snail: Latia neritoides.
  • Certain cephalopods
    • Certain Octopuses
      • Bolitaenidae
    • Vampire squid
      • Sepiolida
    • Many Teuthida (squid)
      • Colossal Squid
      • Mastigoteuthidae
      • Sparkling Enope Squid

Fungi

Bacteria

• Photorhabdus luminescens
  • Certain species of the family Vibrionaceae (e.g. Vibrio fischeri, Vibrio harveyi, Photobacterium phosphoreum)
  • Certain species of the family Shewanellaceae, (e.g. Shewanella hanedai and Shewanella woodyi)

Other microorganisms

• Protists
  • Certain Dinoflagellates (e.g. Noctiluca scintillans, Pyrodinium bahamense,^[5] Pyrocystis fusiformis ^[6] and Lingulodinium polyedrum

References

1. Geophilus carpophagus – a centipede – Family: Geophilidae. Plant Press. Retrieved on 20 October 2011.
2. Myriapods: strange millipedes. Herper.com. Retrieved on 20 October 2011.
3. Milius, S (1 August 1998). "Glow-in-the-dark shark has killer smudge". Science News. Retrieved 13 March 2013.
4. "Sharks Light Up in Neon Colors". video.nationalgeographic.com. Retrieved 2015-07-08.
5. "Gasparich, Sara. The Concentration and Distribution of Bioluminescent Dinoflagellates in Vieques, Puerto Rico." (PDF). 20th Annual Keck Symposium. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
6. Schiro, Danielle; Eigner, Rachel (2008). "A Knight in Shining Armor". Pyrocystis fusiformis. University of Wisconsin - La Crosse. Retrieved 29 January 2015.