Flonase Technicolor

Kelly’s Field Notes

Common Name: Fireflies, Lightning Bugs, Glowworms

Order: Coleoptera

Family: Lampyridae

Genera: There are 144 genera of fireflies!

Species of Note Near You (There are around 2400 species of firefly!):

• Common eastern firefly (Photinus pyralis) - found throughout the northeastern United States. Most in this genus are about half an inch in length or 1.27 cm.

• Western banded glowworm (Zarhipis integripennis) - found along the west coast and in Oregon. This species does glow but rarely.

• Douglas fir glowworm (Pterotus obscuripennis) - found along the west coast and in Oregon. This species does glow but rarely.

• Blue Mountains firefly (Atyphella lychnus) - found throughout the Blue Mountains of Australia, throughout Sydney to south-eastern Queensland. 

• Giant firefly (Lamprigera spp.) - the largest fireflies belong to this genus, which is poorly studied. They are found throughout Asia. Larvae of this genus can reach 10 cm (4 in) in length. Adults top out at around 

• Common glow-worm (Lampyris noctiluca) - this species is widespread throughout Europe.

Description: 

Fireflies are found throughout the world in temperate and tropical climates. Adult fireflies vary in shape and size. They have a body length of between 0.9 cm to 2. 5 cm (0.35 in to 1 in) While males always look like an adult beetle, some females have a laviform where they have a grublike abdomen and a thorax and head that looks more like an adult. Larviform females do not have wings. While most species are nocturnal there are diurnal species that do not light up. Adult fireflies generally have elongated bodies, small tucked in heads, and come in some shade of black with warning colors in orange, red, or yellow. Aside from the warning colors (aposematism) their lights may have also evolved to deter predators before turning into mating signals (research is pointing to bats specifically driving the lights). Additionally, bats have learned to avoid even non-flashing fireflies by identifying their wing beats.

Firefly populations in the United States have steadily been declining for decades due to pesticides, light pollution and habitat loss due to urban development. Competing with man made lights is difficult for a small beetle, making it hard to find a partner and perpetuate the species. If you want to help your local fireflies, give them plenty of tall grass to hide in and don’t turn on your outside lights unless totally necessary. The IUCN Red List currently lists 18 taxa (species and subspecies) categorized as threatened with extinction (critically endangered, endangered, vulnerable).

To Flash or Not to Flash: 

Adult fireflies either flash or glow to attract mates. The flashing pattern you see is unique to each species which are active at different temperatures (50oF+ to 85oF or 10oC+ to 29.4oC ). The frequency of the flashing also increases with temperature, so the same male will flash the same pattern at twice the speed at higher temperatures. All organic reactions naturally increase with temperature, this isn’t special to fireflies.

The book “Fireflies, Glow-worms, and Lightning Bugs” has an excellent chart that shows the flashing/glow patterns of many species. You can actually tell what genus the firefly is from by the color of its flash: yellow for most Photinus, green for Photuris, and amber for most Pyractomena. While from a distance the “blue ghost” species (Phausis reticulata) may appear blueish white, its light is actually green. Some species only emit a soft glow, they tend to be females, but some males do this, as well as all firefly larvae (hence glowworm!).

Some species when together to find mates will synchronize their flashes, flashing in time together as one large unit. If you are in the U.S. and want to witness one of the largest groups of fireflies blinking in unison visit  Elkmont, Tennessee, the first week of June. Here is a link to the festivities: https://home.nps.gov/grsm/learn/nature/fireflies.htm You can also try your hand at entering a lottery in Congaree National Park in Hopkins, South Carolina to see the synchronized flashing there. Link to more info on that: https://www.nps.gov/cong/fireflies.htm There is also an annual festival in Pennsylvania to celebrate a population of synchronous fireflies: https://www.pafireflyevents.org/

Life Cycle: 

Fireflies begin life as eggs, buried just below the surface of the soil. Some species have aquatic larvae, which is not uncommon in the beetle family. They lay their eggs on plants above the surface of the water, the larvae drop in after hatching. They take around three to four weeks to hatch, with the larvae resembling the classic grub shape of other beetle larvae. The larvae are active hunters, feeding on other invertebrates. Most overwinter as larvae, a few overwinter as adults. The larval stage can last a few weeks all the way up to a few years. The pupal stage is average for most beetles, lasting between one and two weeks.

Adult fireflies are pretty varied in their diet, depending on species. Some are predatory, some feed on nectar or pollen, and sadly some adults have no mouthparts and only live for a few days.

Super Powers:

• Light! - while not all species of firefly light up, most do. In the Eastern U.S., for example, males flash specific light patterns to attract females. While in the west fireflies either don’t light up at all or only females emit a glow while resting close to the ground. Their light is “cold” as they do not produce ultraviolet or infrared light.

• Mimicry - Photuris versicolor, a species complex of firefly, mimics the flashes of other fireflies. They tend to target males. Interestingly, they seem to target other species for their lucibufagins, which is a steroid that is unpalatable to vertebrate predators.

• Flight - most fireflies fly, though some females do not.

• Toxic - Fireflies are unpalatable. Always heed the warning colors (aposematism)!

Fireflies in Research:

• Firefly luciferase is used for detecting the presence of ATP or magnesium in forensics!

• Researchers are using firefly luciferase to indicate health of a targeted organ. Oxygen causes the luciferase to light up, so using a plug of luciferase doctors can monitor the light it emits to measure biological activity in the organ, such as liver toxicity. 

• Luciferase was also used in lab studies to detect antibodies that can block a SARS-CoV-2 infection. There are many, many medical uses for luciferase. Too many to list, especially if you include luciferase enzymes from other bioluminescent organisms besides fireflies.

Fireflies in Culture:

• In Japan people come together to celebrate midsummer when fireflies start flashing in parks. 

• The science fiction television series Firefly is named after the insect.

• There is a DC Comics supervillain named Firefly. He loves arson!

• There was a hit song by Owl City, which Kelly hates. You may have heard it.

• One of the bugs in James and the Giant Peach is a glowworm.

• Fireflies are generally popular in lots of media for their striking visuals and symbolism.

References: 

Anika, Lautenbach. “Looking for Fireflies in Oregon.” The Corvallis Advocate, 28 June 2017, www.corvallisadvocate.com/2017/looking-fireflies-oregon/. Accessed 28 June 2024.

Becker, Alexandra. “Fireflies Help Kindle New Tests and Treatments for COVID-19.” TMC News, Texas Medical Center News, 21 July 2020, www.tmc.edu/news/2020/07/fireflies-help-kindle-new-tests-and-treatments-for-covid-19/.

“Blue Mountains Firefly.” Australian Museum, 12 July 2020, australian.museum/learn/animals/insects/blue-mountains-firefly/.

“Did Bats Invent Fireflies?” News.ufl.edu, news.ufl.edu/articles/2018/08/did-bats-invent-fireflies.html. Accessed 30 June 2024.

Fallon, Candace. “Latest Update to the IUCN Red List Includes First Global Assessments for Fireflies, with a Spotlight on North America.” Xerxes Society, 25 Mar. 2021, xerces.org/blog/iucn-red-list-assess-fireflies.

Faust, Lynn Frierson. Fireflies, glow-worms, and lightning bugs: identification and natural history of the fireflies of the eastern and central United States and Canada. University of Georgia Press, 2017.

“Fireflies.” IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, Name, 2024, www.iucnredlist.org/search?permalink=487e22fc-184e-4efb-84f8-fb713799bee1. Accessed 29 June 2024

“Firefly.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 4 July 2019, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firefly.

‌‌Hausheer, Justine E. “The Surprising Fireflies of the Western US.” Cool Green Science, 23 Apr. 2019, blog.nature.org/2019/04/23/the-surprising-fireflies-of-the-western-us/. Accessed 28 June 2024.

Huang, Pien. Witnessing the Spectacle of Synchronous Fireflies Is “like Magic.” NPR, 26 May 2024, www.npr.org/2024/05/24/g-s1-935/synchronous-fireflies-congaree-endangered..

“Lucibufagin.” Wikipedia, 26 June 2024, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucibufagin. Accessed 29 June 2024.

Walsh, David. “Lighting the Way: How Scientists Are Imitating Fireflies to Advance Cancer Treatments.” Euro News, 19 May 2021, www.euronews.com/health/2021/05/19/lighting-the-way-how-scientists-are-imitating-fireflies-to-advance-cancer-treatments.