In the dark of the deep sea it is not unusual for animals to use light to lure in prey. The deep sea anglerfish and viperfish both have special appendages to dangle their light lures from. However, despite the fact that all life comes from the sea, the strategy of using light as a lure is rare on land. A larval worm in the Peruvian rainforest appears to do just that.

In the dark rain forest the worms use a luminous chemical to draw in other insects. When the prey draws near the worm bursts from the ground and consumes it. In tests the worms were found to eat stick insects, termites and possibly ants.

The worms were first found by wildlife photographer Jeff Cremer several years ago when he was working at a lodge in Peru. He found several dozen of the half-inch insects glowing in the side of a hill. However, Cremer did not know at the time that he’d found anything new. He posted the photos to the sub-Reddit “whatsthisbug” but they still could not be positively identified.

In October, 2013 Cremer, along with University of Florida entomologists Aaron Pomerantz, Mike Bentley and Geoff Gallice he returned to the Amazon in an effort to re-discover the worm.

“These larvae may glow using a chemical known as luciferin, which is the same chemical found in many firefly species. We noticed that the larvae are also able to control when they glow,” said Pomerantz in a Rainforest Expeditions video.

Currently it is not clear whether the researchers have discovered a new species, or a new subspecies of beetle. The larvae may be related to the Brazilian fire beetle which burrows into termite mounds, creating glowing towers. The team is currently consulting with experts in Brazil to see if further information on the animals is available.