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Marine bioluminescence is produced by an incredible range of organisms, from bacteria and single-celled protists to fish and squid.

Some especially interesting examples are:
  • A red tide of dinoflagellates strikes in Monterey Bay.

  • Bioluminescent milky seas where huge populations of bacteria give the ocean an eerie glow. [Includes a link to original paper.]

  • A squid which changes the color of its luminescence to match moonlight and sunlight.

  • A siphonophore which uses red light to lure fish to its tentacles.

  • Tiny single-celled dinoflagellates that make the sea sparkle.

  • Fishes like Malacosteus and Aristostomias with their own "night vision" light.

  • Crustaceans which send out coded messages to their own species when it is time to mate.

Here is one possible phylogenetic tree showing the distribution of bioluminescence across the "Tree of Life". Neither the tree nor the taxa identified as luminous are set in stone, and there is already new information on both aspects. However, note how many times bioluminescence appears to have arisen (more than 40, considering that one group of organisms may have several different chemistries.) It is a remarkably broadly distributed phenomenon.

(Below the tree you will find a partial text list of bioluminescent organisms.)



Download the reference article. (2.2 MB file.)

Below is a partial text list of bioluminescent organisms. (The tree above is more comprehensive.)

If an organism is listed here it means that at least one species in that group is luminescent, not that all such creatures make light.

This list is intended to give an idea of the diversity of bioluminescent creatures. It is not meant to be comprehensive, and there may be other luminous creatures which are not included here.

Bacteria
Fungi
Dinoflagellates (single-celled algae)
Radiolarians (single-celled marine organisms)
Cnidaria
Scyphozoa (Jellyfish)
Hydrozoa (Hydroids, Hydromedusae, and Siphonophores)
Anthozoa (Sea Pens and Sea Pansies)
Ctenophores (Comb Jellies)
Nemertean worms (1 species)
Mollusca
Nudibranchs (a few)
Clams (few)
Squid (many)
Octopods (few)
Limpet (1 type)
Land Snail (1 type)
Annelid worms (lots)
Polychaetes
Earthworms [external site]
Pycnogonids (sea spiders)
Crustaceans
Copepods
Ostracods
Amphipods
Decapod shrimp
Euphausiids (krill)
Chaetognaths (arrow-worms; 2 species)
Echinoderms
Sea stars
Brittle stars
Sea cucumbers
Crinoid (few)
Hemichordate worms
Urochordates
Pyrosomes
Ascidian (one)
Larvaceans
Chordates
Sharks (some)
Fish (lots)
Centipedes
Millipedes
Insects
Fireflies [external site]
Click Beetles
Fungus gnats
Collembola (spring-tails)
Railroad worms


(There are no luminous "flowering" plants, birds, reptiles, amphibians or mammals.)


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