If you think your love life is tough, spare a thought for the poor Maipo bent-winged firefly.
The insect, a species only recently discovered and unique to Hong Kong, emits flashes of light to attract a mate.
But the firefly's call may get drowned out by the light from 2,000 flats that a property developer hopes to build near its habitat at Mai Po.
Yiu Vor, chairman of the Hong Kong Entomological Society, found that light pollution severely reduced the Maipo bent-winged firefly's chances of mating.
'The rare firefly uses its flash as a signal of mating. When the number of flashes is reduced, the chance of mating will also be reduced. This has a deep impact on their reproduction and survival,' he said.
The species was discovered in June last year in the mangroves and streams of the Wetland Park, 300 metres from a proposed development at Fung Lok Wai on Deep Bay, involving 19 blocks of flats 15 to 19 storeys high.
