Biology:Photinus brimleyi
| Photinus brimleyi | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Coleoptera |
| Family: | Lampyridae |
| Genus: | Photinus |
| Species: | P. brimleyi
|
| Binomial name | |
| Photinus brimleyi Green, 1956
| |
Photinus brimleyi, or sidewinder firefly,[2] is a species of firefly in the Photinus genus. It is found in the southeastern United States.[2][3][4][5]
Description
P. brimleyi is a medium-sized beetle, with adults measuring 10–14 mm (0.4–0.6 in) long. Males and females have very different appearances. The males have dark wing covers, or elytra, with wide, blurred, light-colored side margins, and a pale yellow head shield, or pronotum, with a dark central mark shaped like a mushroom or a teardrop. Flat-lobed lanterns are visible on the male's abdomen. The larviform female resembles a colorful pink and yellow grub with no wings and very small elytra.[2]
Etymology
Photinus is from the Greek word for 'shining' or 'bright'.[6] The specific epithet is in honor of the naturalist Clement Samuel Brimley,[2] who mentioned the species in his 1938 Insects of North Carolina, although it was not named until John Wagener Green published Revision of the Nearctic species of "Photinus" in 1956.[7]
Lifecycle
Beetles such as P. brimleyi go through four life stages: egg, larva, pupa, and adult. Photinus fireflies spend the majority of their lives as larvae, which are bioluminescent and likely live below the soil surface, eating snails, worms, and other soft-bodied invertebrates. Adults appear in mid-summer, from late June to early August.[1][2]
Behavior
Adult male P. brimleyi fireflies fly 0.3–2 m (1.0–6.6 ft) off the ground and flash to attract the attention of females, starting at sunset or about 15 minutes after sunset. Their flash pattern consists of a fast sideways arc that doubles back on itself. After flashing, the male flies 1–2 m (3–7 ft) forward, then flashes again, about 1.5 to 2.5 seconds later. A female responds with an answering flash from the entrance of her burrow or from a perch up to 15 cm (6 in) high on low vegetation. The male and female communicate in this way until the male finds the female and they mate.[2][8]
Habitat
P. brimleyi can be seen in damp, mature forests, fields, lawns, and dry upland scrub forests.[2][1]
Range
P. brimleyi has been recorded in the southeastern United States, including Tennessee, Kentucky, Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, Oklahoma, and Arkansas.[1]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Walker, A. (2021). "Photinus brimleyi". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2021. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-1.RLTS.T164075844A166771768.en. https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/164075844/166771768. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 Faust, Lynn Frierson (2017). Fireflies, Glow-worms, and Lightning Bugs. University of Georgia Press. ISBN 978-0-8203-4872-8.
- ↑ "Photinus brimleyi Report". https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=722461.
- ↑ "Photinus brimleyi species Information". https://bugguide.net/node/view/574047.
- ↑ "Photinus brimleyi". https://www.gbif.org/species/1162777.
- ↑ "φωτεινός" (in en). 17 March 2023. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%CF%86%CF%89%CF%84%CE%B5%CE%B9%CE%BD%CF%8C%CF%82.
- ↑ Green, J.W. (1956). "Revision of the Nearctic species of Photinus (Lampyridae: Coleoptera)" (in en). Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences. Fourth 28 (15): 561–613. ISSN 0068-547X. https://fireflyersinternational.net/s/Green-1956.pdf.
- ↑ Lloyd, J.E. (1966). "Studies on the Flash Communication System in Photinus Fireflies" (in en). Miscellaneous publications (University of Michigan. Museum of Zoology) (130): 1–95. https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/handle/2027.42/56374/MP130.pdf;sequence=1.
Wikidata ☰ Q2444195 entry
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