ENY 3005 Family Identification

Coleoptera: Lampyridae

 Common name: lightningbugs, fireflies

Identifying characteristics for the family Lampyridae include:

• First abdominal sternite entire, not divided by hind coxae (suborder Polyphaga).
• Elongate, softbodied beetles, 4.5 - 20 mm in length.
• Head concealed from above by flattened pronotum (cf Cantharidae).
• Last 2 or 3 abdominal sterna often luminous.
• Tarsi 5-5-5.

• Adults well known for their flashing, an important part of their courtship and mating.
• Larvae are carnivorous, feeding on other insects, snails, and slugs.
• There are 23 genera and about 200 species of Lampyridae in North America.

References:

• Pages 162-163 in D. J. Borror and R. E. White. 1970. A Field Guide to the Insects. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co.
• Pages 188-190 in R. E. White. 1983. A Field Guide to Beetles of North America. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co. 368 p.
• Page 432 in D. J. Borror, C. A. Triplehorn, and N. F. Johnson. 1989. An Introduction to the Study of Insects, 6th ed. Philadelphia: Saunders College Publishing. 875 p.
• Page 206 in R. G. Bland and H. E. Jaques. 1978. How to Know the Insects, 3rd ed. Dubuque, Iowa: Wm. C. Brown Co. 409 p.
• Page 472 in H. V. Daly, J. T. Doyen, and A. H. Purcell III. 1998. Introduction to Insect Biology and Diversity, 2nd ed. Oxford University Press. 680 p.

Links to other web sites

• Fireflies. Color illustrations of larvae, pupae, and freshly eclosed adults.
• Fireflyer Companion & Letter. A newsletter/journal/forum/magazine aimed at no one in particular and everyone in general.
• Fireflies in Houston, Texas, by Donald Burger.
• The Firefly Files. Firefly facts, resources, and fun.
• Luminescent click beetles. Fireflies are not the only beetles that glow in the dark.