#Photinus pyralis

[towildblueskies]

he is waiting patiently for dusk

(i think) Common Eastern Firefly, photinus pyralis

[overdoso]

Photinus pyralis, os vaga-lumes, cada vez mais raros.

[calochortus]

Common eastern firefly (Photinus pyralis) by Trey Wardlaw

[crevicedwelling]

Photinus fireflies are probably one of North America’s most iconic and beloved beetles, and rightfully so. P. pyralis is big and bright, with a yellow-green color to its bioluminescence

I also often see these smaller Photinus with a warm orange glow. I think they could be P. scintillans, which aligns with their size, flash pattern, the yellow sclerites on males, and where I’m located. females of that species are short-winged and flightless, so I’ll try to find one to figure out the ID for sure.

reminder that fireflies eat slugs and snails as larvae! if you like seeing them in your garden, stop trying to exterminate land gastropods and leave some vegetation where the adults can sleep during the day. slugs and “weeds” = more magic glowing bugs

[mishapeep]

Uh, I saw your post and you mentioned that you teach the kids... how do I put it... that are given to you at social functions due your park ranger aura for safekeeping how to tell the difference between predatory lightning bugs and normal lightning bugs.

And then you didn't tell us that secret! May I ask you to share the difference between predatory lightning bugs and normal ones?

Thank you very much :)

By popular demand and because this was the most polite ask: how to tell the predatory lightning bugs from the non-predatory lightning bugs.

First, there are over 2000 species in Lampyridea. I am not qualified to distinguish between all that. I grew up in Northern Ohio (71 species) and every year summer wasn’t official until the lightning bugs came out in the evenings (usually the first or second week of June).

This is our first clue. The first lightning bugs out each evening are a species of non-predatory chaps. Their glow goes in a special pattern. Flash, pause, “J” shaped flight about 2 -3’ off the ground. Repeat. Their glow is more yellow and lingers. These are the males of Photinus pyralis or the common eastern firefly. They look like this:

(Photo from iNaturalist: a lightning bug beetle, mostly black with gold lines around the wing casing. Head shield is yellow with a red “eye” with black iris in the center. Rounded front and back, long down the center.)

Their females hide in tall grasses waiting for the right suitor. If you’re lucky and clever you can see her dimmer flash in the grass beaconing the males closer.

As the dark of night progresses you’ll start to see a quicker, brighter, greener flash. Blip, blip, blip, blip, long pause. They are FAST! They’ll also mimic the flashes of Photinus females. These are usually higher up off the ground. Even in the trees! These lightning bugs aren’t looking for love.

Photuris (not gonna get to specific epitaph on this one without a sample and a key) are looking for dinner!

(Photo from blog.greatparks.org another lightning bug beetle. This one is slightly larger than the non-predatory bug. It has “shoulders” and extra gold lines running through the back. Its legs are longer and its shield is more “sharp”. The shield marking is less like an eye and more like a yellow D where the inside is a red triangle with a black line running through.)

Another way to tell is to go out at night and catch a bunch of lightning bugs (if you can; I hear they’re getting scarce). Offer them a slice of apple. If you wake up in the morning to only a few and the rest are dead, good chance you found some predators. (This is how I found out about them! Wooops!!)

Lightning bugs are freaking magical. I’m so sad to hear that they are yet another wonder that we are losing at an alarming rate. If this bugs you as much as it bugs me there are a few things you can do to help them:

1) do not spray for mosquitoes! That spray is not-species specific. It’s bad for lightning bugs. It’s bad for monarch butterflies. It’s bad for birds. It’s bad for bats. It’s bad.

2) kill your lawn. But Misha! You said they breed in the grasses! True! However native plants are going to provide so much more habitat for these guys than a gross monoculture of Kentucky bluegrass ever will. The Midwest has some of the best native plant nurseries in the country! Use that resource!

3) Advocate for them and donate to conservation if you’re able. Bugs don’t have voices and they fight an uphill battle just for being a bug.

Thanks for joining my ranger talk! Support your parks.

[uncharismatic-fauna]

A Night Out with the Eastern Firefly

The eastern firefly, or North American firefly (Photinus pyralis), is a popular sight throughout the United States and southern Canada east of the Rocky Mountains. They are commonly associated with the beginning of summer, as they spend the winter hibernating underground and emerge only when the weather begins to warm. They are commonly seen in deciduous forests, grasslands, gardens, and backyards.

Contrary to their name, the eastern firefly is actually a type of beetle with well-developed wings. Adults are quite small, only 10-14 mm (0.39-0.55 in) long. They have a yellow and red head and a dark brown body with a narrow yellow stripe marking the outline of the wing casings. The main difference between the two sexes is the length of their wings; males have longer wings and are capable of flight, while females have shorter, less functional wings. Both sexes have a special organ on the end of their abdomens that produce light; however, the female's light tends to be weaker. The North American firefly produces its light by combining oxygen with a chemical called luciferin; the resulting chemical reaction gives off a glow which is amplified by special reflective cells in the firefly's abdomen.

Like all fireflies, P. pyralis uses its light producing ability to attract a mate. Males flash only while flying, in bursts about 6 seconds apart. Once a female signals her interest-- also by flashing-- the male lands near her and offers her a package called a spermatophore made of sperm, protein, and nutrients. If the female accepts, she inseminates herself and buries the rest of the package with her clutch of about 500 eggs. These eggs, which glow slightly during development, hatch about 4 weeks after being laid, and the larvae feed on the remains of the nutrient-rich spermatophore. The larvae can take one or two years to develop, and spend most of their time underground or near sources of fresh water like lakes and streams. Once the larva pupates and develops into an adult firefly, they only live in this stage for about a month before dying.

Both larva and adult eastern fireflies are predators, feeding on other insects like worms, snails, and other fireflies. However, larva spend almost all their time hunting for food, while adults spend the majority of their time seeking out a mate. To avoid predation, P. pyralis can emit foul-smelling odors and excretion of sticky substances; they also emit a chemical called lucibufagin that repells spiders. However, other species of fireflies will actually mimic the light patterns of the eastern firefly in order to predate upon them.

Conservation status: The North American firefly is currently considered Least Concern by the IUCN. However, they are threatened by light pollution, pesticides, and habitat loss.

Photos

Judy Gallagher

Katja Shultz

Sydney Penner via iNaturalist

[rokkazu]

woudl you still love me if i was a Common Eastern Firefly (Photinus pyralis)

[the-bad-batch-baroness]

Hi love! Congrats on over 100 followers!! I brought a cake to celebrate.🎂

May I request #21 "It reminded me of you." for a romantic Tech story/scenario. (I honestly don’t know what to call it😅)

Congrats on your achievement again!🫶

What Is That?

Tech x GN!Reader

Pairing: Tech x GN!Reader

Tags & Warnings: fluff, romance, bugs

Word Count: 100

Author's Note: Thank you so much for participating Stitch! It means the world to me! And thank you for the cake 😊 I love cake and will definitely be eating a slice 🥰 I hope you like what I wrote 💚

“Tech,” you question as he places a jar on the table. “What is that?”

“Photinus pyralis,” he answers without looking up from his data-pad.

You scrunch your eyebrows as you try to figure out what the words mean. “Photi-what?”

“Commonly referred to as fireflies,” Tech answers. “I picked them up on my last mission.”

“Why?” you ask with a raised eyebrow.

“They reminded me of you,” he answers matter-of-factly.

“How?” you ask in confusion as you peer at the contents of the jar.

“They illuminate dark places using bioluminescence,” Tech begins. “Just as you illuminate my life with your presence.”

Event Masterlist

Masterlist

A03

Tag List: @nahoney22

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[fathers-quest]

Bug girl! Favorite bug?

"OKAY, so I've always loved fireflies because my middle name is Pyralis, which means 'bug born from fire' or something like that, right? And there's a firefly species called Photinus Pyralis, which, by the way, fun fact; different firefly species have varying flash patterns to identify each other for mating and such! Photinus Pyralis, also known as the Big Dipper firefly for its J-shape flash pattern, is super cute! Like little stars, but on the ground! And I can hold them!

BUT THEN. I feel like this doesn't cover all the bugs I like. For the Hemiptera order, I'd say I love the Dog-Day cicada. It's a super pretty green, and I'm a pretty big green enthusiast. Aha. It feels super nostalgic to me, like... a long summer day while I stayed out in the sun when I was younger. They're pretty loud, but it's easy to identify them amongst other cicada calls! Ooh, and fun fact, their name is based on the brightest star in Canis Major, AKA Sirius! Represents that they come out during the hottest days of summer.

Don't even get me started on lepidopterans. Butterflies! Moths! They're sooooo cute! Listen, some people think they're kinda freaky because their faces are weird or whatever, but I think bug faces are ADORABLE! I mean, how could you not love their big ol eyes? Anyways. Oleander hawk moths are super pretty, I love hawk moths because they have such thin wings and they're still able to fly! In fact, they're really agile and quick and aerodynamic and super pretty and. Yeah. For butterflies... probably the malachite butterfly? They're green and pretty! But all butterflies are lovely. Reminds me of a nice spring day!

Gosh, I'm really rambling in this post... but I don't want to leave any bug out. I mean... there's so many bugs in the world! Much more than any humanoid or monster out there, I bet. They're all so cool... I really wish I could go on for longer. But hey, if you're curious about a certain bug order or something like that, feel free to ask!

TL;DR... I love all bugs. That's it. All bugs. But I guess fireflies take the top pick!"

[ketrinadrawsalot]

JuneBug: Celestial Firefly (Photinus pyralis)

[anarchywoofwoof]

What's your favorite bug?

oh boy i love this ask, thank you so much.

here's a confession: up until late adulthood, i had a pretty severe phobia of most bugs. i'm much calmer about them now, but i still get freaked out if something jumps, flies or moves too quick. i actually blame my mom for this (surprise). she has an insane bug phobia and there were incidents as a kid where she freaked out and thus, freaked me out.

anyway, that long preamble aside. if we're including beetles in this discussion, then Photinus pyralis or the common eastern firefly (aka lightning bug) is probably my favorite.

some of my best memories as a kid were catching and releasing lightning bugs. i highly resented the fellow homeschooled kids who lived down the street who ripped their abdomens off and wanted to commit acts of unspeakable violence against their homestead. granted, i was not a perfect kid. but i didn't torture bugs or animals.

honorable mentions for favorite bug include:

Apis mellifera (Western Honey Bee)

Melanoplus differentialis (Differential grasshopper)

Stagmomantis carolina (Carolina Mantis)

Apantesis vittata (Banded Tiger Moth)

Harrisina americana (Grapeleaf Skeletonizer)

[towildblueskies]

(probably) Common Eastern Firefly, photinus pyralis

[sorrcha]

septembug prompt 3 - "glow"

eastern firefly, Photinus pyralis

[art-of-an-idiot]

hey i'm still alive guys. here's my newest fursona, Astra :3

(he/they)

species: Pawpillar (Photinus pyralis firefly) defining features: fur pattern looks like stars. the 'white' patches are actually clear fur and they let the light through when he lights up! :3

(original species created by @bugdottpng, check out their blog pls :D their art style is so edible, i love it) DISCLAIMER: My art is prohibited from being used for AI. Do not steal, trace, or otherwise repost my art. For safety reasons, until AI can die off, do not add image descriptions to my posts.

sorry for the terrible image quality btw, my camera sucks rn lol

(also on the bottom image, I tried drawing wings but didn't like the way it looked so yea ＜（＾－＾）＞

reblogs > likes! im trying to gain some traction here (but not too much pls cos i dont know how to deal with a lot of attention lol)

[spacefinch]

Insects!

Yes, these are all real species. No, I don’t know all their common names. The only one I’ve seen in person is Photinus pyralis, the firefly.

[fenthebonebreaker]

Daily Doodle #0022

Common Eastern Firefly (Photinus pyralis)

@onedoodleaday prompt: Draw something that glows in the dark.

I really need to figure out how to get a smooth wash of color down for the backgrounds. Any large washes I do are always so smudgy.