Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Beetles (Coleoptera) » Polyphaga » Series Elateriformia » Elateroidea » Fireflies (Lampyridae) » Lampyrinae » Lucidotini » Diurnal Fireflies (Ellychnia) » California Glowworm (Ellychnia californica)

Species Ellychnia californica - California Glowworm

California Diurnal Firefly - Ellychnia californica

Ellychnia californica - California Glowworm - Ellychnia californica - male

California Glowworm (Ellychnia californica)? - Ellychnia californica

California Glowworm - Ellychnia californica

Unknown Coleoptera - Ellychnia californica

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 Ellychnia (Diurnal Fireflies)

Species californica (California Glowworm)

Other Common Names

California Diurnal Firefly

Explanation of Names

Ellychnia californica Motschulsky 1853

Size

10.5‒16 mm(1)

Identification

Sides of median black area of pronotum straight, diverging from apex to base, with a small antebasal lobe extending into roseate area; in the sympatric E. megista, the black area is subparallel to the base, where it slightly widens (no antebasal lobe)(1)

Range

Throughout CA, more common from Sacramento to San Bernardino Mts(1)

Habitat

On flowers and grassy vegetation, esp. in moist habitats(2)

Season

Said to overwinter as adults.

Internet References

Curated specimen images: dorsal, ventral, lateral...from the Spencer Entomological Collection of the Univ. of British Columbia.

Works Cited

1.	Ellychnia of western North America (Coleoptera: Lampyridae) K.M. Fender. 1970. Northwest Science 44: 31-43.

2.	Field Guide to Beetles of California Arthur V. Evans and James N. Hogue. 2006. University of California Press.

Contributed by John F. Carr on 4 February, 2009 - 4:50pm
Additional contributions by Aaron Schusteff, v belov
Last updated 27 October, 2024 - 3:26pm

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