Most common fireflies in North America

Since I started the writing about fireflies and publishing my studies online, people have been writing to me wanting to learn more about fireflies.  After receiving many emails and questions I produced the Firefly FAQ site, to answer those most frequently asked questions.  However, every year during firefly season, which is generally the late spring and summer months, I continue to receive inquires.  Many write asking questions I've already answered; other want help with their science projects, which I do not do, as students should do their own science projects.  Still other send what can only be described as UFO sightings; i.e, unidentified firefly objects or observations.

A UFO is any sighting of a firefly which does not include an accurate recording PLUS collection of specimens.  If you do not record a firefly's flash pattern and also collect the specimens for later identification, than what you see is of little consequence.  Records of firefly observations may include accurate field notes, film, electronic or other recordings.  Then one must collect the actual fireflies they are observing and have them identified as to genus-species.  When this is done the one's observations have more weight and significance than if one just says they saw a firefly, a flash in the night, a sparkle or twinkle of light, a shooting star, or glitter in the sky.  You have not confirmed your observation of a firefly until the firefly is collected, photographed and/or its flash recorded.

The following advice was sent to a firefly watcher to improve their skills and abilities with respect to observing fireflies.  I have posted it here so that others may learn and benefit from this same information and to save me the time and effort of having to repeat myself.

It sounds like you are generally interested in firefly systematics. That is fine and certainly presents you with a great challenge and much to learn. However, you need to understand that this is Dr. Lloyd's speciality, an area he has been working in for almost 50 years. He has all the raw data and his published papers present only part of the puzzle with respect to classifying NA fireflies. This is still a work in progress. It currently involves much collaborative effort which includes effort to produce DNA signatures of the various species of fireflies, most notably Photuris sp.

Unfortunately my collection of entomology books and references is no longer with me. There is some material in regard to fireflies online, but it is far from complete. That is also one reason I started the Firefly FAQ site, to make it easier for people to learn about fireflies, at least the basics.

Apparently this has been somewhat successful as every year when fireflies appear people come out of the woodwork, as do the fireflies out of the leaf litter, find the Firefly FAQ site, and send me a barrage of emails. The Firefly FAQ site was designed also to try to answer most people's questions so that I would not have to repeat myself. Now that others are making firefly sites which cater to a more popular audience, such as the Boston MOS site, I'll probably be swamped with even more solicitations in the future.

It seems from your inquires that you are trying to make sense out of the many different fireflies you have been seeing on your firefly watch outings, which is quite admirable. You need to realize that what you are seeing is a seemingly confusing mix of fireflies; some 30+ species may occur at various sites scattered throughout New England. Sorting out the various species is a problem Dr. Lloyd and others have been trying to work out for many, many years. This is why I have referred you to Dr. Lloyd, to make a review of his published work, as well as the published work related to the various species of fireflies.

Part of the problem in meeting this challenge is your own need to get an education in the basics of entomology. I would recommend some introductory college level courses. Plus I recommend selecting individual, known species of insects to study, rear, observe and use as a learning tool. That way you avoid much of the confusion that comes if you do not know what species you are observing. Do not make the mistake of trying to identify a species when you have never done this before and do not know insect morphology; rather get an expert to make the identification. Or you can use known species available through universities and/or agricultural research stations or even through online resources which market known species of live insects from reared stock. The advantage of having a known specimen is that then you can do a literature review and everything you learn is properly associated with the known specimen. Plus you can then make original and significant contributions as you are studying a known species.

Now the problem is that apparently you found the Boston Museum of Science (MOS) Firefly Watch site, which is doing what I consider some very BAD science, and you are plunging into water that is over your head and want to know what the hell are all these fireflies you are seeing! :-) Is that pretty much correct? But you never have even taken a basic entomology course.

One of the reasons the Boston MOS Firefly Watch is very BAD science is, in fact, because they are asking everyone, everywhere to make and report firefly sightings without even collecting specimens that can later be identified to confirm the sightings and associated them with a genus-species of firefly. So what you end up with is essentially a very large number of UFO's, or unidentified firefly objects!

I tell people who write to me all the time, unless you collect a specimen and have it identified all you have is a UFO! So I'm telling you the same thing. I am also telling you, get an expert to identify any fireflies you collect. In this case the expert is Dr. Lloyd. With over 14,000 IDs under his belt and having produced the reference collections for NA fireflies, he should be the one to ID any species you want to study. Here again, I suggest that you select one species of firefly to study at a time and learn everything there is to know about it by doing a complete literature review. When I first began studying P. pyralis that is exactly what I did; Dr. Lloyd identified specimens I sent to him, then I learned how to identify them myself, was able to do a literature review, learn what was already known, and then be able to make some original discoveries and reports.

Anyone can use this same method, but you have to begin by selecting one species to focus your studies upon, one species at a time, especially if you are interested in behavior, and firefly flashing is an aspect of behavior. Firefly flashing can be used as an aid in identifying a species, but this was really never intended; it is only a consequence of knowledge of firefly mating behavior. Still the tried and trued way to identify a species it to collect the specimens and then observe and describe their morphology in detail. This remains true of fireflies as well as all other insects and arthropods, as well as all animals and plants. You do not identify an bird, a cricket or a firefly by its call, chirp or flashes; this is only a guide to what you may be observing that is of some use in the field. To be sure what you are observing you have to collect and identify specimens and when you are just starting out, it is best to have an expert do this for any insect you are studying. Of course if you take basic entomology and them morphology and then specialize on learning how to identify ants, flies, beetles, etc., you will get to a point where you can reference the keys, identify genera, and later various species. Such expertise does not come easy. When you look at a field guide, you can get a pretty good idea what type of insect you may have collected, but to identify it to genus or species involves having this done by an expert, or becoming an expert in taxonomy yourself and learning how to use the dichotomous keys ... if you can find them.

With regard to Photuris, Dr. Lloyd has been trying to sort them out for almost 50 years. Most of his recent publications are in the Fla. Ent. which are online. There are also some general papers out or in press in the Ency of Insects (Berkeley) and The Ency of Ent (U of F). There is also the work on stray light and ff (in press connected with U Cal LA). Also, note the key to Lampyrid genera in the Beetles of NA, edited by Arnett, N. Thomas, and others. Plus I have listed below some of the most common fireflies of North America which you are likely to encounter in or around the DC area, which is a partial list produced from review of an unpublished monogram sent to me by Dr. Lloyd.

Then there is the work-in-progress which I get the impression will never see the light of day until after Dr. Lloyd is knocking at the pearly gates. That is really quite convenient for him, as it keeps him in business and his services in demand. Why should he give me, you or anyone else all that information he has complied and then be out of a job? As a retired professor this is all he has, his little gold mine of precious gems. He did the data mining, so to speak, so he continues to reap the rewards and will until the day he dies. This is much like a musician not giving up tricks. If you are the master and you tell every young musician the secrets of all your tricks, you may soon be out of a job. Dr. Lloyd is no fool, he knows this. So over the years he has published those most significant findings which have contributed to his reputation as an authority on firefly systematics. Plus he has given lectures which often presents material that is not published. And he is an outstanding teacher!

On the other hand, I just dabble here and there and search for creatures which glow, much for my own amusement. I am interested in the general study of entomology and have made a few discoveries myself. I also enjoy photographing insects, flowers and even entire landscapes. I have given lectures with respect to photography, symbols and forms in nature, and have dabbled a bit in what I like to call Luminology. That is what I am, a Luminologist. But you are not likely to find another for I am the first. You see a Luminologist searches for creatures which glow, not only in the fields, meadows and forests, not only under rocks and logs, not only in the caves and canyons, not simply beneath the sea, but deep inside the mind where there are no barriers of time and space, 'cept perhaps death itself, and one may travel faster than the speed of light.

You might have to actually go down to the University of Florida if you want to get access to one of the best collection of literature there is on fireflies. You see that is what I did when I went down to Gainesville. I spent much time in the stacks digging through books, reading, studying, learning. One reaches a point where there are questions which cannot be answered by searching through the literature. That's when you have to start asking the fireflies for the answers, start doing experiments, and learning through making your own observations and discoveries. This applies not only to fireflies but to all of nature. There is, after all, the unknown, and it is a library of infinite stacks which would dwarf all the libraries in the known universe.

I hope that I may have been of some help. Should you take my advice and select a single species of firefly to focus your attention upon, perhaps a Photinid that is common on your firefly watches, try to collect 6 - 12 specimens. Then see if Dr. Lloyd will identify them to species. Then get the keys and learn how to do it for yourself from reference specimens. That way you know what species you are studying and can do a literature review and then do original research. Repeat this process for every species you want to study and learn about, be it a few or many.

That is basically how one goes about studying any species of firefly or insect. You always get the top expert to identify collected specimens. If you leave that step out and are just reporting "firefly flashes" the result is BAD science, just so many UFO's, unidentified firefly objects. And guess what, sometimes what is reported is not fireflies at all!

Since starting the Firefly FAQ site I have certainly received some wild and crazy sightings of UFO's. Plus a novice can think they see a firefly when all they saw was the flicker of a star. Walk along a piney wood and it is easy to mistake the flicker of a star between passing tree branches for a firefly. Some have even mistaken distant lights from houses, street lamps, or even moving autos seen through a wood as a firefly. Then there are completely fabricated reports and hoax sightings. The Internet is notorious for hoaxes of all sorts. This is one more reason that without a specimen in hand and an accurate recording of firefly mating flash pattern, all your really have is a UFO, unidentified firefly object! :-)

Now with all this said you are probably still asking, what the hell are all these fireflies I'm seeing? Everyone else participating in the Boston MOS Firefly Watch is probably wondering the same thing. Now to make it worse they are referring to Dr. Lloyd's studies and mapping and fail to mention, by the way unless you collect and identify a firefly specimen, your observations do not count and are just UFO's! :-) So all this data they are collecting is useless and everyone is basically wasting their time participating is what is just a way to advertise and promote the Boston MOS. Oh, and it might get some people interested in fireflies, but they might be better off just looking at the stars, as at least then they can identify the constellations, buy a telescope and at least maybe discover a comet.

As it is, since firefly specimens are not being collected and identified, and all one has is amateurs reporting possible sightings, all you have is encounters of the zero kind -- UFO's that aren't even worth noting or taking seriously. It's BAD science! It would be better for the museum to get some known species of insects, rear them and give them to everyone who wants to study and learn about them. Crickets would be an ideal choice given they are easy to real. But even as much as I love watching fireflies, I've never though of it as a sport or just for entertainment, amusement or a way to raise money or membership for a museum. If that's what they want then they should market some of my "I Love Firefly" gifts and apparel. :-)

But, hell, I can't even get you interested in wearing one of my firefly tees and sending me a pic. So why should I bother if you are confused by the DC area firefly mix. I've basically told you how to sort it out. One firefly species at a time, observed, recorded, collected, pinned, and identified via its morphology. That is how it is done. But if you leave out any of steps all you have is close encounters of the ZERO kind and so many useless UFO's, unidentified firefly objects.

Plus many more of these email and no doubt I'll be getting a bad case of carpal tunnel syndrome and be hit with a big medical bill. :-) Ah, the price one pays for searching for creatures which glow. But still we do it. It is like falling in love. Do you know anything about that? Happily, fondly, madly in love. For you see, one can fall in love with fireflies and creatures which glow. I fell so in love a long time ago. And the only reason I both with you is because you have too.

In kind regards,
Terry

PS Some of the most common fireflies in North America include members of Photinus, Pyractomea and Photuris. I've listed below some of those common to parts of the USA, which is from unpublished monograms Dr. Lloyd sent me. Maybe this will help. Knowing this you can get the binomial keys and the original descriptions of each of the various species. Of course the list below is incomplete; there are other genera and species of fireflies, over 170 in NA north of Mexico. But this list will give you a good starting point, as these are among the most common fireflies you are likely to encounter in and around DC.

***Partial List of Most Common Fireflies of North America***

This is a partial list of some of the most common fireflies in North America (Edited from unpublished monograms by Dr. James E. Lloyd, 2002) Please note that this is only a partial list including Photinus, Photuris, and Pyractomena; there are over 170 known species of fireflies in North America. Dr. Lloyd has produced voucher collections plus much unpublished material and original research related to the fireflies of NA. In the field you may observe and collect many other species of fireflies not listed here. You should consult the scientific literature for a morphological description of any firefly and it related flash pattern to make an identification. Many species of Photuris can only be accurately identified by recording and analyzing their flash patterns.

Photinus (42+ NA species, 235+ World)
aquilonius Lloyd ne USA
ardens LeConte ne USA, se Canada
consimilis Green Missouri
curtatus Green c USA, X marginellus in NY
ignitus Fall e USA
macdermotti Lloyd e USA
marginellus LeConte ne, nc USA
obscurellus LeConte ne USA, se Canada
pyralis (L.) e USA
sabulosus Green e, c USA
Photuris (36+ NA species, 90+ World ; ms epithets tentative

fairchildi Barber e, c USA & Canada
hebes Barber (SH) e, c USA
lucicrescens Barber e USA
pennsylvanica (DeGeer) e, nc USA
potomaca complex Barber e USA
Pyractomena (17+ NA species, 25+ World)
angulata (Say) e USA, Canada
borealis (Randall) e USA, Canada
dispersa (cmplx) Green e, nc USA
linearis LeConte ne, nc USA
lucifera (Melsheimer) e USA
marginalis Green ec & ne USA
sinuata Green ne, nc USA