A Global Perspective on Firefly Extinction Threats
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A Synopsis of Aquatic Fireflies with Description of a New Species (Coleoptera) 539-562 © Wiener Coleopterologenverein, Zool.-Bot
ZOBODAT - www.zobodat.at Zoologisch-Botanische Datenbank/Zoological-Botanical Database Digitale Literatur/Digital Literature Zeitschrift/Journal: Water Beetles of China Jahr/Year: 2003 Band/Volume: 3 Autor(en)/Author(s): Jeng Ming-Luen, Lai Jennifer, Yang Ping-Shih Artikel/Article: Lampyridae: A synopsis of aquatic fireflies with description of a new species (Coleoptera) 539-562 © Wiener Coleopterologenverein, Zool.-Bot. Ges. Österreich, Austria; download unter www.biologiezentrum.at JÄcil & Jl (eels.): Water Hectics of China Vol.111 539 - 562 Wien, April 2003 LAMPYRIDAE: A synopsis of aquatic fireflies with description of a new species (Coleoptera) M.-L. JENG, J. LAI & P.-S. YANG Abstract A synopsis of the Lampyridae (Coleoptera) hitherto reported to be aquatic is given. The authors could confirm aquatic larval stages for five out of the fifteen reported cases: Luciola cruciata MOTSCHULSKY (Japan), L. ficta OLIVIER (China, incl. Taiwan), L. latcralis MOTSCHULSKY (Japan, Korea, China and Russia), L. owadai SATO & KlMURA (Japan) and L. substriata Gorham (= L. fonnosana PIC syn.n.) (Taiwan, Myanmar and India). A sixth species, L. hyclrophila sp.n. (Taiwan), is described. The larvae of all but L. substriata have lateral tracheal gills on abdominal segments 1-8; L. substriata has a metapneustic larval stage with a pair of functional spiracles on the eighth abdominal segment. It is suggested that the aquatic habits in Luciola LAPORTE have evolved at least twice. The species with facultatively aquatic larvae are summarized also. A lectotype is designated for L.ficta. Key words: Coleoptera, Lampyridae, Luciola, aquatic, new species. Introduction Lampyridae, or fireflies, belong to the superfamily Cantharoidea (sensu CROWSON 1972) or Elatcroidea (sensu LAWRENCE & NEWTON 1995). -
1)B 2) F 3) a 4) E 5) D 6) C
Virtual Firefly Festival Lesson: Flash Patterns In this lesson, participants will learn the secret behind the species-specific flash patterns of fireflies and then match visual representations of the patterns with the correct species. New Jersey is home to about 19 native species of fireflies, and you can probably see quite a few of them mingling together in your neighborhood! Each species of firefly has their own unique flash pattern and color, used to communicate with potential mates and predators. There are roughly 2,000 species of fireflies worldwide! Generally, the males are the ones to fly while flashing, and the females hang out perched on grass or in trees and flash to the males. One of the most numerous fireflies, especially here in the northeast, is the common eastern firefly (Phontinus pyralis); the male can be easily seen flashing a yellow-green light as it flies upward in a J-shape. A female P. pyralis can distinguish a male of her species vs. a male Photo by Spencer Black via Science Friday Photinus consimilis which flies in a straight line and emits 4-9 rapid yellow flashes every ten seconds. That being said, the animal world is full of trickery; the female Photuris versicolor (also known as the femme fatale firefly) is an aggressive predator that mimics the flash patterns of the female Photinus pyralis to lure and eat the male P. pyralis! Along with the flash pattern, the color is important and can be used to identify species: the blue ghost firefly, Phausis reticulata, is found in southern Appalachia and the males are famous for their eerie blue light that they maintain for up to a minute as they meander a foot or two above the leaf litter, where the wingless females wait. -
Investigating the Impact of Artificial Night Lighting on the Common European Glow-Worm, Lampyris Noctiluca (L.) (Coleoptera: Lampyridae)
Rhian Jenny Bek BSc Ecology & Environmental Biology (IND) 200618957 Investigating the impact of artificial night lighting on the common European glow-worm, Lampyris noctiluca (L.) (Coleoptera: Lampyridae) Professor John Altringham Faculty of Biological Sciences University of Leeds LS2 9JT Rhian Bek (2015) Impact of street lighting on glow-worms CONTENTS 1. ABSTRACT ....................................................................................................................... 2 2. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................... 3 2.1. Light Pollution ............................................................................................................. 3 2.2. Impacts of Light Pollution ............................................................................................ 4 2.2.1. Humans ................................................................................................................ 4 2.2.2. Wildlife .................................................................................................................. 5 2.2.3. Insects .................................................................................................................. 6 2.2.4. Glow-worms ......................................................................................................... 6 2.3. Street Lighting and Lamp Type ................................................................................... 9 2.4. Aims and Objectives ..................................................................................................12 -
Photinus Pyralis, Big Dipper Firefly (Coleoptera: Lampyridae) Able Chow, Forest Huval, Chris Carlton and Gene Reagan
Photinus pyralis, Big Dipper Firefly (Coleoptera: Lampyridae) Able Chow, Forest Huval, Chris Carlton and Gene Reagan pattern and flight path, which forms a distinct J-shaped courtship flash. This flash is also the basis of the common name. Big dipper firefly larvae are small, six-legged, elongated insects with distinct body segments, each armed with a flat dorsal plate. They have small heads, short antennae and two light-producing organs on the abdomen. Species identification of larvae requires rearing them to adults. The pupae of Photinus resemble a pale white version of the adult Adult big dipper firefly in natural habitat. Lloyd, 2018, used with with the wings folded onto the sides of their bodies. permission. Description Life Cycle Adult big dipper fireflies are small, elongated beetles Fireflies undergo complete metamorphosis, with a life three-eighths to three-fifths of an inch (9 to 15mm) in cycle consisting of four developmental stages: egg, larva, length, soft in texture and densely covered by small hairs. pupa and adult. Photinus females lay small, round eggs about They have large eyes, black wing covers (elytra) with yellow one-thirtieth of an inch (0.8 mm) in diameter in moist margins and large pronota (top surface of thorax) extending crevices. The eggs glow slightly when first laid, but this fades over their heads. The color pattern on the pronotum is over time before hatching within 18 to 25 days. Larvae are variable, but the center is always pink with a black center nocturnal, solitary predators inhabiting a variety of moist dot. The light-producing organs differ between sexes. -
Research Article the Dark Side of the Light Show: Predators of Fireflies in the Great Smoky Mountains
Hindawi Publishing Corporation Psyche Volume 2012, Article ID 634027, 7 pages doi:10.1155/2012/634027 Research Article The Dark Side of the Light Show: Predators of Fireflies in the Great Smoky Mountains Sara M. Lewis,1 Lynn Faust,2 and Raphael¨ De Cock3 1 Department of Biology, Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155, USA 2 Emory River Land Company, 11828 Couch Mill Road, Knoxville, TN 37932, USA 3 Evolutionary Ecology Group, University of Antwerp, 2610 Antwerp, Belgium Correspondence should be addressed to Sara M. Lewis, [email protected] Received 14 July 2011; Accepted 15 September 2011 Academic Editor: Diana E. Wheeler Copyright © 2012 Sara M. Lewis et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. In the Great Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee, the Light Show is a popular seasonal attraction created by thousands of courting male Photinus carolinus fireflies (Coleoptera: Lampyridae) that flash in synchrony to locate females. This study was undertaken to provide a temporal snapshot of whether invertebrate predators are active within these dense and conspicuous firefly breeding aggregations. In addition, we examined whether female Photuris fireflies, which are specialist predators on other fireflies, show any feeding preferences within the diverse local firefly fauna. A field survey revealed a surprisingly diverse suite of generalist insectivores feeding on fireflies within P. carolinus breeding aggregations. In addition, laboratory studies revealed major differences in prey con- sumption rates when Photuris predators were given access to several lampyrid taxa. -
The Colors of Firefly Bioluminescence: Enzyme Configuration and Species Specificity by H
THE COLORS OF FIREFLY BIOLUMINESCENCE: ENZYME CONFIGURATION AND SPECIES SPECIFICITY BY H. H. SELIGER AND W. D. MCELROY MCCOLLUM-PRATT INSTITUTE, JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY Communicated May 25, 1964 We have previously reported on an unusual stereospecificity of firefly luciferase for a D(-) isomer of firefly luciferin.' While both the D(-) and the L(+) form will react with ATP to liberate pyrophosphate in the reaction E + LH2 + ATP =- E. LH2AMP + PP, (1) only D(-) LH2AMP will react further, in the presence of oxygen, to produce bio- luminescence and an oxidized product. There is also a strong pH dependence of the color of the emitted light;2 in acidic buffer solutions, pH < 6.5, the intensity of the normal yellow-green emission, peaking at 562 ml,, decreases markedly and a low intensity red emission is observed, peaking at 616 miu. This is evidence that enzyme configuration is important in determining the resonance energy levels of the excited state responsible for light emission. Further Evidence for Configurational Changes.-Except for the partial denatura- tion of the enzyme in acidic buffer, the pH effect on the emission spectrum shift is completely reversible. We have been able to observe these same reversible red shifts in emission spectra by increasing the temperature of the reaction, by carrying out the reaction in 0.2 M urea and at normal pH values (7.6) in glycyl glycine buffer, by adding small concentrations of Zn++, Cd++, and Hg++ cations, as chlorides. The normalized emission spectra of the in vitro bioluminescence of purified Photinus pyralis luciferase for various Zn++ concentrations are shown in Figure 1. -
High Road Mortality During Female-Biased Larval Dispersal in an Iconic Beetle
Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology (2021) 75: 26 https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-020-02962-6 ORIGINAL ARTICLE High road mortality during female-biased larval dispersal in an iconic beetle Topi K. Lehtonen1,2,3 & Natarsha L. Babic2,4 & Timo Piepponen1,2 & Otso Valkeeniemi1,2 & Anna-Maria Borshagovski1,2 & Arja Kaitala1,2 Received: 23 October 2020 /Revised: 10 December 2020 /Accepted: 28 December 2020 / Published online: 16 January 2021 # The Author(s) 2021 Abstract Animals often disperse from one habitat to another to access mates or suitable breeding sites. The costs and benefits of such movements depend, in part, on the dispersing individuals’ phenotypes, including their sex and age. Here we investigated dispersal and road-related mortality in larvae of a bioluminescent beetle, the European common glow-worm, Lampyris noctiluca, in relation to habitat, sex and proximity of pupation. We expected these variables to be relevant to larval dispersal because adult females are wingless, whereas adult males fly when searching for glowing females. We found that dispersing glow-worm larvae were almost exclusively females and close to pupation. The larvae were often found on a road, where they were able to move at relatively high speeds, with a tendency to uphill orientation. However, each passing vehicle caused a high mortality risk, and we found large numbers of larvae run over by cars, especially close to covered, forest-like habitat patches. In contrast, adult females in the same area were most often found glowing in more open rocky and grassy habitats. These findings demonstrate an underappreciated ecological strategy, sex-biased dispersal at larval phase, motivated by different habitat needs of larvae and wingless adult females. -
Sommaire Connaissez-Vous Les Aphrodes Du Québec?
SOMMAIRE CONNAISSEZ-VOUS Connaissez-vous les Aphrodes du Québec? 1 LES APHRODES Faisons la lumière sur les espèces de lucioles présentes au Québec _________________ 5 DU QUÉBEC? Un nouvel outil pour les fourmis _________ 9 urtis (1829) a introduit le taxon Aphrodes pour Des insectes gigantesques _____________ 10 Cregrouper sept espèces de Cicadellides de Grande- Aventures avec le Monarque ____________ 12 Bretagne. Ce genre très répandu dans la région La boîte à outils paléarctique a été introduit en Amérique du Nord, vers la fin du 19e siècle (Hamilton 1983). Ultérieurement, Field guide to the flower flies of Northeas- Aphrodes bicincta (Schrank 1776) et A. costata (Panzer tern North America ________________ 14 1799) furent récoltés au Québec, à Coaticook (1913) Insectes. Un monde secret __________ 15 et à Kazabazua (1928) (Site CNCI, consulté 2019). Cerambycidae (Coleoptera) of Canada Les espèces du genre Aphrodes sont difficiles à sépa- and Alaska _______________________ 16 rer avec les caractères morphologiques externes et internes. Le Russe Tishechkin (1998) découvrit que Entomographies _____________________ 17 le groupe A. bicincta représentait trois espèces dif- Cocchenille du genre Acanthococcus _____ 20 férentes, après étude des sonogrammes enregistrés dans la communication des individus émettant des Nouvelles de l'organisme ______________ 20 vibrations transférées au substrat (tige, feuille). En Deux membres fondateurs en deuil _______ 20 Angleterre, des études du gène mitochondrial de la sous-unité I du cytochrome c-oxydase (COI) ont Statistiques des visites au site des fourmis _ 21 consolidé les observations découlant des sonogrammes Rapport des activités de 2018-2019 ______ 22 obtenus avant le sacrifice des spécimens (Bluemelet al. -
Coleoptera: Lampyridae)
Brigham Young University BYU ScholarsArchive Theses and Dissertations 2020-03-23 Advances in the Systematics and Evolutionary Understanding of Fireflies (Coleoptera: Lampyridae) Gavin Jon Martin Brigham Young University Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd Part of the Life Sciences Commons BYU ScholarsArchive Citation Martin, Gavin Jon, "Advances in the Systematics and Evolutionary Understanding of Fireflies (Coleoptera: Lampyridae)" (2020). Theses and Dissertations. 8895. https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/8895 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by BYU ScholarsArchive. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of BYU ScholarsArchive. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Advances in the Systematics and Evolutionary Understanding of Fireflies (Coleoptera: Lampyridae) Gavin Jon Martin A dissertation submitted to the faculty of Brigham Young University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Seth M. Bybee, Chair Marc A. Branham Jamie L. Jensen Kathrin F. Stanger-Hall Michael F. Whiting Department of Biology Brigham Young University Copyright © 2020 Gavin Jon Martin All Rights Reserved ABSTRACT Advances in the Systematics and Evolutionary Understanding of Fireflies (Coleoptera: Lampyridae) Gavin Jon Martin Department of Biology, BYU Doctor of Philosophy Fireflies are a cosmopolitan group of bioluminescent beetles classified in the family Lampyridae. The first catalogue of Lampyridae was published in 1907 and since that time, the classification and systematics of fireflies have been in flux. Several more recent catalogues and classification schemes have been published, but rarely have they taken phylogenetic history into account. Here I infer the first large scale anchored hybrid enrichment phylogeny for the fireflies and use this phylogeny as a backbone to inform classification. -
DE Wildlife Action Plan
DelawareDelaware WildlifeWildlife ActionAction PlanPlan Keeping Today’s Wildlife from Becoming Tomorrow’s Memory Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control Division of Fish and Wildlife 89 King Highway Dover, Delaware 19901 [email protected] Delaware Wildlife Action Plan 2007 - 2017 Submitted to: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 300 Westgate Center Drive Hadley, MA 01035-9589 September, 2006 Submitted by: Olin Allen, Biologist Brianna Barkus, Outreach Coordinator Karen Bennett, Program Manager Cover Photos by: Chris Bennett, Chuck Fullmer, Mike Trumabauer, DE Div. of Fish & Wildlife Delaware Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program Delaware Division of Fish and Wildlife Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control 89 Kings Highway Dover DE 19901 Delaware Wildlife Action Plan Acknowledgements This project was funded, in part, through grants from the Delaware Division of Fish & Wildlife with funding from the Division of Federal Assistance, United States Fish & Wildlife Service under the State Wildlife Grants Program; and the Delaware Coastal Programs with funding from the Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration under award number NA17OZ2329. We gratefully acknowledge the participation of the following individuals: Jen Adkins Sally Kepfer NV Raman Chris Bennett Gary Kreamer Ken Reynolds Melinda Carl Annie Larson Ellen Roca John Clark Wayne Lehman Bob Rufe Rick Cole Jeff Lerner Tom Saladyga Robert Coxe Rob Line Craig Shirey Janet -
Delaware's Wildlife Species of Greatest Conservation Need
CHAPTER 1 DELAWARE’S WILDLIFE SPECIES OF GREATEST CONSERVATION NEED CHAPTER 1: Delaware’s Wildlife Species of Greatest Conservation Need Contents Introduction ................................................................................................................................................... 7 Regional Context ........................................................................................................................................... 7 Delaware’s Animal Biodiversity .................................................................................................................... 10 State of Knowledge of Delaware’s Species ................................................................................................... 10 Delaware’s Wildlife and SGCN - presented by Taxonomic Group .................................................................. 11 Delaware’s 2015 SGCN Status Rank Tier Definitions................................................................................. 12 TIER 1 .................................................................................................................................................... 13 TIER 2 .................................................................................................................................................... 13 TIER 3 .................................................................................................................................................... 13 Mammals .................................................................................................................................................... -
Coleoptera: Lampyridae, Lampyrinae, Photinini) Endemic to the Brazilian Atlantic Rainforest, with Description of Three New Species
Zootaxa 3835 (3): 325–337 ISSN 1175-5326 (print edition) www.mapress.com/zootaxa/ Article ZOOTAXA Copyright © 2014 Magnolia Press ISSN 1175-5334 (online edition) http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3835.3.2 http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:C8338F48-3E18-477D-A134-11778ABD6781 Ybytyramoan, a new genus of fireflies (Coleoptera: Lampyridae, Lampyrinae, Photinini) endemic to the Brazilian Atlantic Rainforest, with description of three new species LUIZ FELIPE LIMA DA SILVEIRA1,2 & JOSÉ RICARDO M. MERMUDES1 1Laboratório de Entomologia, Departmento de Zoologia, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, A1-107, Bloco A, Av. Carlos Chagas Filho, 373, Cidade Universitária, Ilha do Fundão, Rio de Janeiro - RJ – Brazil. E-mail: [email protected] 2Laboratório de Ecologia de Insetos, Department of Ecologia, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, A0-113, Bloco A, Av. Carlos Chagas Filho, 373, Cidade Universitária ,Ilha do Fundão, Rio de Janeiro - RJ – Brazil Abstract Here we describe a new Photinina genus with three species endemic to Serra dos Órgãos Mountains in Brazil. Ybytyra- moan gen. nov. occurs in high altitudes, from 980m up to 2000m, and has the following unique set of characters: head abruptly depressed at vertex; lanterns not fully developed, somewhat rounded or anteriorly rounded, straight posteriad, with posterolateral rounded projections (billycock-shaped), at the middle of the abdominal sterna VI and VII; abdominal sternum VIII not covered by VII; phallus and parameres apically teethed. We provide illustrations and a key to the three species in this genus: Ybytyramoan praeclarum sp. nov. (type-species), Y. diasi sp.