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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Beetles (Coleoptera) » Water, Rove, Scarab, Longhorn, Leaf and Snout Beetles (Polyphaga) » Click, Firefly and Soldier Beetles (Elateroidea) » Fireflies (Lampyridae)

Family Lampyridae - Fireflies

Classification · Other Common Names · Pronunciation · Explanation of Names · Numbers · Size · Identification · Habitat · Food · Remarks · See Also · Print References · Works Cited

photinus pyralis, female - Photinus pyralis - female

Beetle of some kind? - Pyropyga nigricans

Microphotus - Microphotus angustus - female

Diurnal Fireflies (Ellychnia) Sp? - Ellychnia

Classification

Kingdom Animalia (Animals)

Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)

Class Insecta (Insects)

Order Coleoptera (Beetles)

Suborder Polyphaga (Water, Rove, Scarab, Longhorn, Leaf and Snout Beetles)

Superfamily Elateroidea (Click, Firefly and Soldier Beetles)

Family Lampyridae (Fireflies)

Other Common Names

Firefly Beetles, Lightning Bugs

Pronunciation

lamb-PIER-ri-dee

Explanation of Names

Author is Latreille 1817

Latin lampyris 'glowworm' from Greek λαμπυρισ, compare λαμπειν 'to shine'

Numbers

ca. 170 spp. in ~20 genera in our area, ~2000 described spp. in >80 genera worldwide and estimated thousands undescribed(1)

Overview of our fauna:

Family LAMPYRIDAE

Taxa not yet in the guide: (*) native, (+) non-native.

Subfamily Lampyrinae

Tribe Lampyrini Microphotus, Nelsonphotus, Paraphausis

Tribe Pleotomini *Pleotomodes, *Prolutacea, Pleotomus

Tribe *Lamprocerini *Tenaspis

Tribe Cratomorphini Aspisoma, *Micronaspis, Pyractomena

Tribe Photinini Ellychnia, Lucidota, Phausis, +Phosphaenus, Photinus, Pyropyga

Subfamily Photurinae

Bicellonycha, Photuris

Subfamily Ototetrinae

Brachylampis

Subfamily Cyphonocerinae

Pollaclasis

Incertae sedis

Pterotus

Size

4-18 mm(1)

Identification

Soft-bodied beetles; head is concealed from above by pronotum (exposed in Canthardiae); last 2-3 abdominal sternites often modified to light-emitting organs; tarsal formula 5-5-5

Habitat

larvae mostly in damp situations

Food

Larvae prey on small animals including snails. Adults of many genera do not feed (2). However female Photuris are known to lure Photinus males using the flash pattern of female Photinus, and eat them to obtain defensive chemicals(3).

Remarks

larvae luminescent, emit light from the tail area

Many firefly spp. are well chemically protected, primarily by the steroid-like lucibufagins that make them distasteful to jumping spiders and birds(3)

See Also

Soldier beetles (Cantharidae)

Print References

Eisner et al., 1978. Lucibufagins: Defensive steroids from the fireflies Photinus ignitus and P. marginellus (Coleoptera: Lampyridae). Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 75: 905-908.

Eisner et al., 1997. Firefly “femmes fatales” acquire defensive steroids (lucibufagins) from their firefly prey. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 94: 9723–9728.

Works Cited

1.	American Beetles, Volume II: Polyphaga: Scarabaeoidea through Curculionoidea By Arnett, R.H., Jr., M. C. Thomas, P. E. Skelley and J. H. Frank. (eds.)

2.	National Audubon Society Field Guide to Insects and Spiders By Lorus and Margery Milne

3.	For Love of Insects By Thomas Eisner

Contributed by Troy Bartlett on 16 February, 2004 - 12:32pm
Additional contributions by cotinis, Beatriz Moisset, Phillip Harpootlian, Lynette, v belov
Last updated 24 November, 2011 - 1:26pm

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