Details
Photinus pyralis
The common eastern firefly is a North American beetle that signals with light at night. Males flash over grass, woodland edges, and wet places to attract females.
Map: Ecoregions 2017 © RESOLVE (CC BY 4.0) · Natural Earth (PD)
It lives in grassland, forest edges, and freshwater margins of the Nearctic. Moist soil and low vegetation support larvae and adults.
Length 1-1.5 cm; weight 0.01 g-0.05 g. A slim dark body has a reddish pronotum and light organs at the tip of the abdomen. It has the soft build typical of firefly beetles.
Nocturnal and solitary, males fly while giving species-specific flashes. Females answer from vegetation with their own light signals.
A carnivore as a larva, it preys on small mollusks and other invertebrates. Adults feed little or may take small amounts of nectar.
Mates find each other through light signals, and females lay eggs in moist soil or leaf litter. Larvae develop near the ground before pupating.
It is listed as Least Concern, though local populations can still be affected by habitat change, collection, or pollution.
