European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - May 30, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse Nationals microscopic View of a mate tire Tea " shows antennae at far right and trailing along lower right siae of its body that propel it through Caribbean Waters at remarkable speeds. Secretions from the minute crustaceans upper lip glands create phosphorescent Blue dots in nighttime mating displays. Fire fleas wooing minuscule mates with irresistible incandescence by Mercer Cross National geographic very evening in he shallow Waters Over Caribbean Island reefs tiny animals the size of sesame seeds stage a spectacular Buffet of Luminescent Blue Dols glowing strings of underwater pearls the display has one purpose. Be the r ots an biochemical punctual Marks squirted into the water by male Marine Tir Elleas ostracods of the Genus Wargula crustaceans distantly related to shrimps and crabs As the minuscule Don Juans Bob up and Down they lash their incandescent signals to Bottom dwelling females which they Hope to arouse and bring swimming to he source of the Light. Using their antennae As oars they can swim remarkably tast 60 Booty lengths a second a 6-toot human swimming Hal fasl would cover 360 loot in a second us Ike Many other Marine animals simply spew eggs and sperm into water Trie Hrell eos proud by copulation Bui Many of the outrun erod mules no doomed to lives of a Chacy there arc at in i 100 males for every available Irma e to make Natty is even worse the Waters Are full of non Lumina Scior aria is that Are More than milling to Sno Otily Seal the a j of Malang if Fri their harder Brothers then go by show by Iris about an Hou of Flor Sunset and lasts shout an hour Fow humans Are even aware of and si1 have seen it for one thing. I occurs during Iho Coc mail and dinner hour when most people Aren t diving. Those who do usually use Bright lights which make the Bach to the reef for the human voyeur peering into the Depths from above the surface there s nol much Tosee. The Only Way to really find out whal s going on is to Dona we us l and gel right into the Black water Wilh he lir Elleas thai s what James c. Morin a biology professor at the University of California at los Angeles has been doing Lor inc past seven yers his research has been supported partly by the National geographic society. It s very much like looking Down on a suburb or a Rural town from an air plane Al he says in describing the Drella display except that Trie Ligols go on an off on a regular the Genus Wargula exists in i Lihe world s oceans Only in the Caribbean however Are there known species Hal Lum Nesce when worm began his research in 1930. There were four such species he has added 35 to Hal number and by posts to find More the Diller from Island to Island a ales of the most common Lype swim upward or downward producing 20 or 30 Spais of Light each spot Lor 10 or 15 seconds once Chr first Firel Fea has started the sequence 30 or 40 other males on the Roe follow suit creating a Brilliant exhibition visible through 30 or More Leel of Clear water each species has its own distinctive Dot Paliern same Are vertical to the surface some oblique or horizontal same patterns Are simple others Are Complex such As the one that Morin describes As looking just like a Bunch of jets Flyg in forma lion " then there Are the less common pulsing types. Saturday May 30, 1987 clusters of these fire fleas lash brightly but briefly All at once for Only a Quarter second at most. A Gula of both sexes Ligh up frantically and vividly when attacked by predators creating a Blue glow the size of a Grapefruit. This has what Morin describes As the burglar alarm effect the dazzling Light attracts a bigger fish to take away the original predator. As a result other creatures about the size of Trie diet Leas gain some Protection mor says because the fist Are going to be wary of picking on anything thai looks a All like an plenty of research remains to be done on the my Lenous crustacean he says. A wants to learn More about the evolution of its communications system and about the relationship of such systems to those of other animals. Hell study the mechanics of How the Luminescent signals Are produced. From All his he Hopes to learn More Aboul the natural history of the Caribbean it s no coincidence that fire fleas and fireflies have similar names. The Iosif obvious parallel is that they both use Light Loti these is Morin says ajl Hough Liq he production Ami Maling techniques differ greatly. Both creatures operate Only in darkness. Fire teas prefer living in dark water just above reels usually is to 30 Leet below the surface Thoy lend to slay in Ona specific area and they Don t inner Breed wih Olfier species. And they have in Rovn kind of modesty Morin has been unsuccessful so far in getting fir Edeas to Breed in a Laboratory. We in Ink it s Tike trying to get humans to copulate in a restaurant he says. The stars and stripes Page 17
