Word: noctiluca
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...they don't inspire the same cue-the-menacing-cello-music terror that killer sharks off America's beaches might, but Pelagia noctiluca has vacationers along France's Cote D'Azur wondering whether it's really safe to go back in the water. And the discomforting answer is, Probably not - unless you happen to be a big fan of jellyfish stings...
...Some Europeans have simply factored Pelagia noctiluca into their beach experience. Full-body Lycra suits designed to shield the skin from UV sun rays have become hot commodities this summer, according to Nice scuba-shop owner Stéphane Pinier, ever since people discovered that the garments also block jellyfish tentacles. Of course, choosing that method of avoiding the sting can itself be painful: the ungainly getup costs nearly...
Stifling heat, sunburn - to the peculiar pleasures of Spain's beaches in August, add the sting of the jellyfish. In the last [an error occurred while processing this directive]couple of weeks, fleets of bloblike Pelagia noctiluca have reached beaches from Barcelona to Málaga. In Catalonia alone, the Red Cross has treated 14,044 bathers for the painful stings. Local governments in Benidorm and elsewhere have posted signs in three languages warning of the dangers. The Interior Ministry has publicized advice for those who are stung - wash the affected area with salt water, don't rub it, seek...
Professor Dr. Friedrich Schaller of the Braunschweig Technische Hochschule's Zoological Institute is a scientific voyeur. He has spent the better part of the past three years spying on the love life of Germany's two native glowworms. The males of the Lampyris noctiluca family, he reports with apparent approval, are choosy in picking their mates. The males of Phausis splendidula are as undiscriminating as sailors home from...
When a Lampyris female does not find a mate promptly, says Dr. Schaller, she begins to wag her abdomen. As time passes, her little belly dance becomes more frantic. Dr. Schaller rigged his dummies for vigorous wagging, and they had outstanding success in attracting mates. Lampyris noctiluca, he is convinced, has a highly selective optical system for locating willing females...