Deep underground in New Zealand's North Island, a winding underground universe of limestone caves glow with a magical blue-green light. While it might seem like pure fantasy, these caves are very real. Their dark interior is brought to life by twinkling colonies of glow worms, or arachnocampa luminosa.
Auckland photographer Joseph Michael documented the sparkling caves by spending countless hours in the frigid underworld of the caves, which experts estimate dates back some 30 million years.
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Glowworms are the larvae of the fungus gnat, a type of fly that resembles a mosquito.
The glowworms are found only in New Zealand and eastern Australia. The Australian worms have smaller lights and tend to stay in smaller groups.
The first part of the species' name, arachnocampa, means "spider worm," and refers to the web of silk threads the worms use to snatch their prey.
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