Firefly research
Firefly research around the world
Fireflies are studied by a small number of people around the world, and their work is hard to find. This page collects them: the researchers who have agreed to be featured, in their own words, and the papers we have read, with a short note on what each one found. We are starting with the Philippines, where very few people study fireflies at all.
Are you a firefly researcher?
We feature people who study fireflies, anywhere in the world, with a page of their own: their work in their own words, and their papers. If you would like to be featured, or know someone who should be, we would love to hear from you.
Papers
Every paper here has been opened and checked by a person before it was listed. The notes are our own short summaries; the paper itself is always the better source.
Ecology and Diversity of Lampyridae (Firefly): Checklist, State of Knowledge, and Priorities for Future Research and Conservation in the Philippines
Jessa Marie Salvador-Caabay (2022). Biodiversity Journal 13(2): 409–416
A review of firefly ecology and diversity, and of what is known about fireflies around the world and in the Philippines. It explains why fireflies matter: they are often keystone species and signs of a healthy habitat, and they are important in science, from the study of how living things make light to conservation biology. It ends with priorities for future research and conservation in the Philippines.
Recreational use Value of a Firefly Watching Ecotourism and Wildlife Park in Palawan, Philippines using the Travel Cost Method
Jessa Marie Salvador-Caabay (2021). International Journal of Science and Management Studies, pp. 115–119
How much is a firefly-watching trip worth to the people who take it? This study used the travel cost method to estimate the value of the Iwahig Firefly Watching Ecotourism and Wildlife Park in Palawan. Age, income and travel costs all affected how often people visited, which can help plan how the park is managed and protected.
Survey of fireflies (Coleoptera: Lampyridae) on the different elevational gradients in Mount Makiling
B. J. S. Zulueta, J. R. Adorada, S. A. Yap (2014). The Philippine Entomologist 28(2): 206
A survey of fireflies on Mount Makiling, from 50 to 1,500 metres above sea level. Both the number of fireflies and the number of species were highest between 50 and 750 metres, and lowest higher up the mountain.
For researchers
Every sighting on Alitaptap is free to use under CC BY 4.0. You can download the whole set as CSV or GeoJSON, and each place with enough records has its own page with a month-by-month chart. If our data is useful to your work, or you find a mistake in it, we would love to hear from you.
Download the sightings (CSV) · Places · Fireflies in the Philippines