dismalite
dismalite noun: the carnivorous larva of the gnat Orfelia fultoni, which emits bright, blue light via bioluminescence.
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Noun
dismalite (plural dismalites)
- The carnivorous larva of the gnat Orfelia fultoni, which emits bright, blue light via bioluminescence.
- Although the creatures known locally as Dismalites are "close cousins" of rare glowworms found in Australia and New Zealand, they are actually fly larvae related to fungus gnats, said Auburn University entomologist Gary Mullen, who has studied the insects.2010, Kelly Kazek, Forgotten Tales of Alabama (ebook), Arcadia Publishing Incorporated, unnumbered page
- A very rare animal, the dismalite, lives in Alabama. Dismalites are wormes that glow in the dark2011, Janice Parker, Alabama: The Heart of Dixie, New York: AV2 by Weigl, page 19
Examples of dismalite in a sentence
- Once the prey has been thoroughly stuck, the victorious dismalite gloatingly crawls out to further torment its helpless captive.2012, Richard Faulk, Gross America: Your Coast-to-Coast Guide to All Things Gross (ebook), Penguin Publishing Group, page 145:
- A small insect called a Dismalite or Fungus Gnat has a larval stage that lives on moist rock walls and produces light.2019, William G. Deutsch, Alabama Rivers: A Celebration & Challenge, MindBridge Press, unnumbered page:
Forms of dismalite
| plural | dismalites |
|---|---|
| alternative form | Dismalite |
Origin of dismalite
From Dismal(s Canyon) + -ite, named after the place where these creatures are found.
Questions about dismalite
- What does dismalite mean?
- Dismalite means the carnivorous larva of the gnat Orfelia fultoni, which emits bright, blue light via bioluminescence.
- How do you use dismalite in a sentence?
- Once the prey has been thoroughly stuck, the victorious dismalite gloatingly crawls out to further torment its helpless captive.
- What part of speech is dismalite?
- Dismalite is a noun.
- What is the plural of dismalite?
- The plural of dismalite is dismalites.
Words near dismalite in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: dismalite (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
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Cite this entry: “dismalite.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/dismalite. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.