Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Beetles (Coleoptera) » Polyphaga » Series Elateriformia » Elateroidea » Fireflies (Lampyridae) » Lampyrinae » Lucidotini » Lucidota » Black Firefly (Lucidota atra)

Species Lucidota atra - Black Firefly

Classification

Kingdom Animalia (Animals)

Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)

Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)

Class Insecta (Insects)

Order Coleoptera (Beetles)

Suborder Polyphaga

No Taxon (Series Elateriformia)

Superfamily Elateroidea

Family Lampyridae (Fireflies)

Subfamily Lampyrinae

Tribe Lucidotini

Genus Lucidota

Species atra (Black Firefly)

Explanation of Names

Lucidota atra (Olivier 1790)

atra = 'black'

Size

7.5-13.0 mm(1)

Identification

Typical form:

Melanic forms:

Ventral--note reduced light organ:

Range

e NA to e Great Plains (NS-FL to MB-TX)(1)(2)(3)

Habitat

Open woodlands, often found on trees

Life Cycle

Day-active. Males do not flash, except perhaps immediately after eclosion

Remarks

Adult exudes a milky fluid from joints of legs and abdomen when captured. Light organs appear as small yellowish spots on last abdominal sternite of female or last two sternites of male.(4)

Works Cited

1.	The fireflies (Coleoptera: Lampyridae) of Ontario Luk S.P.L., Marshall S.A., Branham M.A. 2011. Canadian Journal of Arthropod Identification 16: 1-105.

2.	Checklist of beetles (Coleoptera) of Canada and Alaska. Second edition Bousquet Y., Bouchard P., Davies A.E., Sikes D.S. 2013. ZooKeys 360: 1–402.

3.	Texas A&M University Insect Collection (TAMUIC)

4.	A Manual of Common Beetles of Eastern North America Dillon, Elizabeth S., and Dillon, Lawrence. 1961. Row, Peterson, and Company.

Contributed by Cotinis on 29 July, 2004 - 5:49am
Additional contributions by Mike Quinn, v belov
Last updated 17 July, 2021 - 8:49pm

Disclaimer: Dedicated naturalists volunteer their time and resources here to provide this service. We strive to provide accurate information, but we are mostly just amateurs attempting to make sense of a diverse natural world. If you need expert professional advice, contact your local extension office.

Contributors own the copyright to and are solely responsible for contributed content.
Click the contributor's name for licensing and usage information.
Everything else copyright © 2003-2024 Iowa State University, unless otherwise noted.

Bugguide is hosted by: