Species Photinus pyralis

Pyralis Firefly, Eastern Firefly, Common Eastern Firefly, Big Dipper Firefly

Species name pyralis is Greek, meaning "of fire". The specific reference is to a Greek myth of a fly that rises from fire (1).

10-14 mm

Large for a Photinus. Blackish-brown finely, densely rugose (wrinkled) elytra, side margins and suture of elytra yellow. Pronotal disk pinkish with a black spot. Pronotum convex. Underside: Ventral abdominal segments six and seven large and occupied by light organ in male. Abdominal sternites of male have distinct (2). Female flightless (1), or "seldom" flies, as it does have normal wings (3).

Flash is distinctive: male hovers about two feet (0.6 m) above ground, then drops vertically, gives single prolonged flash as is ascending, then flash diminishes (2). Flashing occurs at dusk, earlier in evening than most other fireflies.

Eastern and central North America

Meadows and edges of woodlands, including lawns, suburbs.

May-July (North Carolina)

Adult does not feed, larvae predaceous on insect larvae, slugs, snails (1).

Eggs are laid on moist soil. Larvae take two summers to complete growth, overwintering twice, pupate in (spring?) in chambers in moist soil (1).

Milne, p. 567, figs. 171, 173 (1)

Dillon, p. 254, plate 25A #2, fig. 194--abdomen of male (2)

Swan and Papp, p. 371, fig. 680 (3)

Papp, p. 89, fig. 278 (4)

Brimley p. 154 (5)

Salsbury, p. 195--photo (6)

Arnett and Jacques #129 (7)

Marshall, photo 316.1 (8)

Clemson University

Cornell University--toxicity in a captive lizard