Firefly species
Every firefly with a page here — the ones we have written a profile for, and the ones that have a page because people kept logging them.
Profiles we have written
- Common eastern Photinus pyralis
The classic backyard 'lightning bug'. Males trace a distinctive J-shaped swoop with a warm yellow flash on summer evenings.
- Mangrove synchronous Pteroptyx spp.
Southeast Asia's marvel — thousands gather in mangrove trees and flash in unison, whole trees pulsing together like a heartbeat.
- Asian firefly Luciola spp.
Widespread across Asia's rice paddies and rivers. Quick, greenish flashes low over water and wet fields at dusk.
- Common glow-worm Lampyris noctiluca
The wingless female glows a steady green from the grass to call flying males — a continuous lantern, not a flash.
- Blue ghost Phausis reticulata
Instead of blinking, males drift low through Appalachian forests holding a steady, eerie blue-white light.
Reported by the community
These have no profile of ours yet. A species gets a page once it has been logged here at least 8 times, so the page can say something real about where it has been seen.
| Species | Sightings | Seen near | Last seen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black Firefly Lucidota atra | 31 | Boul de Forillon, Gaspé, QC, CA, Fort Loudon, PA, USA | |
| Little Gray Firefly Photinus marginellus | 14 | Ithaca, NY, US, Balharrie Ave, Ottawa, ON, CA | |
| Dark Firefly Pyropyga nigricans | 9 | Broomfield, CO 80020, USA, Carson National Forest, Vadito, NM, US |