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Table of Contents
Introduction
Introduction
This page is intended to provide general and location-specific guides and resources for identifying and supporting fireflies.
General Firefly Resources
General Firefly Resources
Facts About Fireflies "Interested in learning more about fireflies? Here are a few fascinating facts you may not know."
Firefly Reproduction
Firefly Reproduction
Can I raise fireflies? "Because they have a complex life cycle, raising fireflies is very difficult. To get from egg to adult, you will need to work out conditions that promote survival not just for the eggs, but also the larval and pupal stages. So far, scientists have been able to successfully rear just a few Asian firefly species (Luciola cruciata, Aquatica lateralis, and Aquatica ficta), all with aquatic larval stages."
The Evolution of Firefly Nuptial Gifts "This international research collaboration revealed a surprising evolutionary link between male gift-giving habits"
4:45min video. Very interesting study finds about insect evolution of flightless females among multiple genetic branches.
Femme Fatales: Mimicry & Murder
Femme Fatales: Mimicry & Murder
"Some feisty females exploit this unique mating ritual. Females of the genus Photuris use ‘aggressive mimicry’ to secure a feed. When males of another genus flash, the female responds with the flash pattern. She lures the male in, and once close enough, she eats him.
This deviant behavior comes down to defense. Unlike other species, adult females of the genus Photuris don’t produce chemical defenses. This leaves them as easy pickings for predators. By eating the males, his chemical defenses are transferred to the female, providing her with protection until she mates. But the males have clued in, learning to spot the phonies to avoid being duped." - https://blogs.unimelb.edu.au/sciencecommunication/2014/10/12/lightning-bugs-natures-flash-dancers/
Fun & Educational
Fun & Educational
Math and Science teachers may appreciate this.
"Fireflies" Fun, interactive, and educational. Play with online "fireflies", adjust their numbers, their internal clocks, and how they interact with their neighbors to better understand their fascinating abilities. Also available in:
中文 (Chinese) : “萤火虫”
Deutsch (German) : “Glühwürmchen”
Français (French) : “Lucioles”
"גחליליות" :עברית (Hebrew)
Magyar / hungarian : "Szentjánosbogár - Mécsbogár”
Português (Brazilian Portuguese) : "Vagalumes”
pусский (Russian) : “Светлячки”
(türkçe / Turkish) - "Ateş Böcekleri"
Photographing the Common Eastern (USA) Firefly (Photinus pyralis) photos and information on how to get great pictures of fireflies even in flight ([We need to ask around to see if bug people feel like this photography link is OK to share, or would be harmful])
Build a Firefly Habitat
Build a Firefly Habitat
"Gardeners often don’t realize gardens make for great firefly habitat, helping to replace lost natural habitat. The common firefly — the Big Dipper firefly (Photinus pyralis) — readily takes to an organic habitat. The trick is to make your garden as inviting as possible for fireflies to take up residence.
Gardens are meccas for food fireflies eat. If you have fought off snails, slugs, various insects, worms then fireflies can lend a hand by helping to control these pests.
Fireflies spend up to 95% of their lives in larval stages. They live in soil/mud/leaf litter and spend from 1-2 years growing until finally pupating to become adults. This entire time they eat anything they can find. As adults, they only live 2-4 weeks. Females that have mated successfully need a place to lay eggs. They will lay eggs in many spots, but gardens offer an oasis with a source of soil moisture good for larval development."
How to Build a Firefly Habitat "Gardeners often don’t realize gardens make for great firefly habitat, helping to replace lost natural habitat. ... The trick is to make your garden as inviting as possible for fireflies to take up residence."
Ways to Attract Fireflies
Ways to Attract Fireflies
Assess your soil health.
If you have poor soil, introduce nutrients such as bag compost, leaves, and organic matter.
Till your soil or use a no-till technique such as using a broadfork to open soils. This is especially important if working in a native area to avoid disruption of habitat. Tilling or using a broadfork to loosen soil adds some aeration and prevents soil from compacting.
Avoid use of broad spectrum pesticides, especially lawn chemicals.
Turn off outside lights and advocate & support local “Dark Skies” policies to control light pollution.
Buy land to protect species.
Let log and leaf litter accumulate. Segment an area of your land/yard to remain in a natural state.
Plant trees and native grasses. Grasses and forbs help retain soil moisture.
Certify Your Yard In the USA you can certify with the The National Wildlife Federation or your local area may have their own certification program such as the Wildscapes: Texas Wildscapes Certification.
Leaving worms, snails, and slugs for firefly larvae to feed on. Poisons unfortunately kill predators like fireflies, amphibians, and birds.
Do NOT introduce earthworms to your garden - as these can be invasive species that push out native species and cause ecological problems.
The Wet Bag Trick
The Wet Bag Trick
Don’t rake leaves and put them on the curb. You are raking up firefly larvae and throwing them away.
Collect bags of leaves to make “Bag Compost”. Collect 5-15 bags.
Wet bags down in a shady lawn area. Keep moist/wet for 3-6 months or up to a year.
Bags will attract snails/slugs. This is food for growing fireflies.
In Spring, put bag compost in your garden. Put it in mounds and till it into your soil.
Repeat each year. It might take as long as 5 years, or as quick as that same year, to get fireflies in your garden.
Report Firefly Habitat & Sightings
Report Firefly Habitat & Sightings
If you know where fireflies reappear, or manage to lure the to a new location, be sure to help scientists and conservation groups keep track of them by reporting you sightings!
Click the Citizen Science button to find an appropriate option for your area.
Firefly Watching Ethics
Firefly Watching Ethics
"Like the bird watchers or Birders as they called themselves, there are ethics in firefly watching too. Birders do not make noise or make unnecessary movements during a watch. So what about fireflyers?
If you are watching fireflies:
If you are watching fireflies:
Make sure you do not bring a gigantic, strong spotlight. If you have a torch, use a blue light. Place a piece of blue plastic as a light filter for your small torch. Blue light normally do not disturb fireflies.
Get a good digital SLR camera for taking firefly light shows. Use a tripod and a self timer for those fantastic light shows. If you have a simple compact camera, use a tripod or on an immovable object. Experiment around with the camera settings on ISO, exposure settings and pixels.
For individual firefly shots (i.e. for identification purposes and recordings only). If it always fly around without resting on a vegetation, use a specialist insect fine net to catch the firefly without disturbing the rest too much, or sometimes you can cusp the animal with your hands. Do it gently, even though it is a beetle, but they are quite fragile. Put it in a jar, and photographed against a dark background. For close up shots of the firefly use a supermacro with an external light source that is a normal torch light. It is best to photograph the animal against the natural background. If you have a chance to do it without netting it while it is on a leaf, then you can use a macro or a telescopic lens with a flash light setting. Photographing them in the dark is not always easy, so you can try it in the daytime, while they are resting under the leaf, usually the do not move. This is easy for the congregating fireflies, but hard to find the individual ones.
Always return the fireflies unharmed. Do not keep them too long for photography. The chances of mating is slim and the period for them ‘talking’ to each other through their flashes and successes depends on their communication period window.
Try not to or use too much of the insect repellant. No insect repellant when handling a firefly.
Be quiet to enjoy the firefly show and the forest.
No collection of firefly adults and larvae, especially the non-congregating species, as they are site specific and not many. They do not live long.
Watch where you step on. Be on the look out for the glowing firefly larvae, the wingless female adult firefly of certain species, ovipositing female fireflies on the forest floor or the multi light starworm (not in the firefly family but a separate family on its own)
No pulling apart two mating fireflies.
No smoking please. No littering.
Please do report to the authorities if you see any disturbances to a firefly habitat site.
Definitely NO squishing, squashing, smacking, or plucking the appendages of fireflies, ie no killing or harming.
If you are a firefly watching guide:
If you are a firefly watching guide:
There are ways of operating a firefly watching activity. You must make sure that the visitor:
Obeys the safety rules- e.g. ‘life jacket’ if using a boat
Give a briefing beforehand (on safety, on fireflies, etc.)
Be aware about the environment e.g. do not litter
Do not collect or disturb or destroy the fireflies and the display trees
Bring a tiny torchlight for safety reason with a blue light bulb or wrapped with blue plastic
Tell the visitors not to use flash photography directly
Tell them to enjoy the serenity and do not disturb others
Do not walk unguided through a sensitive conservation zone; some mangroves do have crocodiles
Have a knowledge of other natural phenomenon, wildlife at night
Do not smoke
Please do report any disturbances to a firefly habitat to the authorities." - Malaysian Fireflies: Firefly Watching Ethics
Catching & Identification
Catching & Identification
Here are a variety of resources and guides for how to ethically appreciate fireflies. We caution against catching them as this can cause accidental harm, but included guidelines for how to catch, photo, and breed them for those who are trying to help fireflies via scientific study or education. Some national and international monitoring programs may require you to catch specimens for identification.
If you can't find what you need in this section, scroll down to see if identification guides, groups, or other resources are listed under your continent or nation. We have resources in several languages including an entirely French section at the bottom of this page.
How to Catch a Firefly "Once you have a jar of fireflies, don’t keep them for longer than a day or two. Let them go, preferably at night because that’s when they’re most active and able to avoid predators. If you keep them for longer, the fireflies are likely to die.
Some people remember crushing fireflies in their fingers to make their hands glow and keeping them in unventilated jars for several days. While this might not have caused serious damage to firefly populations in times when they were more plentiful, today’s firefly numbers are dwindling—so each one matters. Catch fireflies carefully, treat them gently and release them into the wild again when you’re done, and you’ll be able to enjoy these fascinating creatures without causing any harm."
iNaturalist "Every observation can contribute to biodiversity science, from the rarest butterfly to the most common backyard weed. We share your findings with scientific data repositories like the Global Biodiversity Information Facility to help scientists find and use your data. All you have to do is observe." Please be aware that the GPS can give away the locations of rare, endangered animals, but turning off the GPS and selecting a location in the general region may help to protect the animals from poachers.
Scientific Literature "... a list of scientific and popular firefly literature (over 2200 citations), concerning firefly taxonomy, ecology, biochemistry, and so much more. This list is periodically updated."
The Selangor Declaration – Conservation of Fireflies (PDF) "Participants from 13 countries met at the Second International Firefly Symposium in Selangor, Malaysia from 2nd to 5th August 2010. They included experts in the fields of taxonomy, genetics, biology, behavior, ecology and conservation of fireflies as well as members of government agencies, non-governmental organizations, educational institutions, corporations and the public. The theme of the symposium was ‘Firefly Conservation: From Science to Practice.’ The following declaration was made in conjunction with the symposium at the Third International Firefly Research Network Meeting on 5th August 2010 and updated by the same body on the 25th November 2014."
After 4 years, in 2014, during the 4th International Firefly Symposium, the Selangor Declaration was relooked again. It was discussed, amended, agreed by the participants and updated"
World Firefly Day includes yearly date, a video, and interactive map of Fire Fly Day events.
Resources by Region
Resources by Region
International
International
Africa
Africa
Biouminescent Insects "If it’s tiny, winged, and flashing in your backyard, it might be a firefly—but it might not. Other species of bugs also glow and use bioluminescence to communicate, find mates, and scare off predators. Here are a few bugs that are commonly misidentified as fireflies—and how to tell the difference."
Fireflies of Africa Includes images. Community support for identifying your own sightings. Your sightings can help scientific and conservation programs.
South Africa
South Africa
Fireflies General overview about fireflies from Ingwelala Nature Reserve in South Africa
Firefly Fact Sheet (South Africa subspecies: Lampyris nepalensis & Luciola tagensis) (PDF)
Asia
Asia
Fireflies of Asia "This is a Firefliers International (FIN) subproject meant to help organize the review and curation of bioluminescent beetles in Asia." Includes images. Community support for identifying your own sightings. Your sightings can help scientific and conservation programs.
South East Asia
South East Asia
Glow worms and fireflies "Both glow worms and fireflies are not worms and flies as their names suggest! You can read all about these insects here, as well as bioluminescence and how it used by insects and other life forms." from the Wet Tropics Management Authority.
Synchronous Flashing in Southeast Asian Fireflies - - "Fireflies use light to find and communicate with potential mates. Most North American firefly species are rovers, twinkling in the characteristic patterns of their species as the fly. Southeast Asian fireflies in contrast flash synchronously in a spectacular communal display for their mates."
China / 中国
China / 中国
爱琴海萤火虫 " 爱琴海人工饲养萤火虫放飞策划(复育萤火虫)销售中心为国内最早从事萤火虫养殖、培育、以及萤火虫放飞活动、栖息地建设的生物研究机构，经过四年的不懈努力，已有包括水生、陆生在内的六个萤火虫品种可实现大规模饲养。希望通过我们的努力能帮助国内的生态观光农业园或旅游景区进行萤火虫人工饲养和栖息地的营造，其应用范围有休闲观光,环境教育,户外探索活动。..."
萤火虫景观调查与构建 "This paper analyzes friefly about the concept of firefly landscape and the firefly landscape present research situation, and use the history of firflies’ culture in our country as a background, then compare it with the situation in Japan, which people think highly of firefly and utilize them as landscape. This comparison reflect the situation that how we utilize the firefly as landscape, and the the requirement of rational construction of firefly landscape. By the case study of Aquatic fireflies, firstly, the paper analyzed the ecological enviroment in Zhejiang which firefly lived in and giving out the example of ecological cycle of aquatic fireflies. What’s more, this paper combined the result of field work, and discussed the effections of revetment enviroment and water quality that how they make contributions to the firefly habitat; Based on the field work in Japan, research compared the mode that Japan now used, and the firefly in each environment, and in order to offer a basic construction model for the Hangzhou firefly landscape."
Hong Kong / 香港
Hong Kong / 香港
Fireflies of Hong Kong 香港螢火蟲 "To document the distribution of fireflies all around Hong Kong. 記錄香港的螢火蟲分布。"
香港螢火蟲 Hong Kong Fireflies "本網站介紹螢火蟲生物學、形態學及生態學知識，亦收錄全部已知的香港螢火蟲品種詳細資料。 "This website introduces firefly biology, morphology and ecology information. Details of all known fireflies species of Hong Kong is also included."
New non-synchronous congregating firefly from Hong Kong, threatened by development! (video)
India
India
Japan / 日本
Japan / 日本
Maylasia
Maylasia
'The word "Firefly" is commonly used in Malaysia. The local Malay name is called “kelip-kelip”, “kunang-kunang”, “kune-kune” or even “api-api” depending on which area you are in.' - Malaysian Fireflies: Firefly 2
The Fireflies of Bukit Kiara (Poster) (PDF) From the Malaysian Nature Society 2019. The poster is an image of the brightly lit road along side the urban forest park, and individual images of bioluminescent insects and their larvae.
Fireflies in Kuala Selangor Nature Park "The Park is managed by the Malaysian Nature Society for the Selangor State Government since 1987, after it was rescued from being turned into a golf course. KSNP is located at the river mouth of the Selangor River on the southern bank. Bordered by mangroves, mudflats, aquaculture ponds and the town of Kuala Selangor, it is one of the few protected mangroves along the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia. An important reserve along the East Asia -Australasia Flyway of migrating birds from both hemispheres."
"At the ring walk, some former display trees do not have any fireflies, possible a change in the environment conditions. At the observation tower, the congregating fireflies are still there on the display trees. These are the non-synchronous fireflies."
"Although the KSNP is ‘protected’, this year’s annual maintenance of the inner bund and canal by the Dept. of Irrigation and Drainage, has destroyed the display trees along the opposite bank. The contractor made a mistake and used the other bank to maintain the canal. We will see how long will it take the fireflies to come back."
Species found in the park include "...probably Pteroptyx valida (to be confirmed) and the other possibly, a Colophotia spp (to be confirmed). A lone Pyrocoelia spp. with its yellowish light was spotted too. The congregating firefly colonies have moved around over the years, for some reasons unknown." Photos included.
Fireflies in Teluk Rubiah coastal hill forest "Coastal hill forest are usually much drier than inland hill forest. The damp areas are along the valleys and waterways. That is where the fireflies were observed most. Only a small area was surveyed, along a ridge (old road) between two valleys and the hill slope beside the rocky beach with a steam nearby." Includes Lampyrinae sub-family, Luciolinae sub family, Pyrocoelia larva and adult male, Ototretinae sub family, Rhagophthalmidae – another bioluminescence beetle, Starworm larva, and Stenocladus larvae.
Roving firefly in Kampung Terbang, Temengor photos and descriptions of some adults and a larva.
Sarawak Fireflies "A blogspot for for firefliers, firefly researchers and other interested to share knowledge and news on fireflies and firefly conversation."
Tioman Island Fireflies includes photos of fireflies and larvae collected during night surveys. Diapahnes, Pyrocoelia, Luciolinae, and possibly Curtos.
Kampung Kuantan Fireflies - A short poetical documentary about Fireflies located in Kampung Kuantan, Malaysia.
The video is a final project for my Multimedia Design exam in Business Academy Aarhus.
Philippines
Philippines
Fireflies of the Philippines ''This project aim to collaboratively assess the biodiversity and distribution of fireflies at any life stage in the Philippines. Light pollution and riverbank modifications are pushing this family to extinction. The social and economic value of this species is immense but they have been struggling to gain the attention they need."
MNS Firefly Conservation Initiative - Malaysian Firely Blog "to share with people who likes fireflies"
Taiwan / 台北市
Taiwan / 台北市
Glowing with Pride Urban habitat restoration for fireflies in Taipeh
Thailand
Thailand
This giant firefly looks even weirder in the light "Of all the insects you could encounter in the forests of Thailand, this has to be one of the strangest."
Türkiye /Turkey
Türkiye /Turkey
Ateş Böceği Gözlemleri, Fireflies of Turkey "Başta İstanbul ve Türkiye’deki ateş böceği gözlemlerinin bir arada toplanması amacıyla sayfa oluşturulmuştur."
Europe
Europe
In English
In English
Biouminescent Insects "If it’s tiny, winged, and flashing in your backyard, it might be a firefly—but it might not. Other species of bugs also glow and use bioluminescence to communicate, find mates, and scare off predators. Here are a few bugs that are commonly misidentified as fireflies—and how to tell the difference."
How to recognise central European glow-worm species includes diagrams and photos.
Austria
Austria
Glühwürmchen-Blinkkarte "Auf folgender Karte sehen Sie einige Orte im Großraum Wiens, wo Sie Glühwürmchen begegnen können. Bei den orangen Punkte wurden hunderte und mehr und bei den großen gelben Punkten über 50 Glühwürmchen gesehen."
France
France
Contribution à l'étude des Lampyridae de France (français) (PDF) "actualisation de leur distribution et observations en France"
Fireflies of France "Tracking and learning about the Fireflies of France. Recherche sur les lucioles de France."
Fireflies of SW France "Tracking and learning about the Fireflies of south-west France. Recherche sur les lucioles du sud-ouest."
Germany / Deutschland
Germany / Deutschland
Deutsche Leuchtkäferarten: alles uber/all about Lampyris noctiluca, Lamprohiza splendidula, und Phosphaenus hemipterus auf Deutsch/in German.
Startpunkt – Leuchtkäfer in Deutschland "Der neu überarbeitete "Startpunkt – Leuchtkäfer in Deutschland" soll allen, die mehr über die deutschen Leuchtkäfer erfahren wollen, mit einem ersten Überblick und Verweisen auf weiterführende Informationsquellen Starthilfe leisten. Außerdem werden hier Meldungen über Leuchtkäfer-Sichtungen innerhalb Deutschlands gesammelt."
Iceland
Iceland
Mass Audubon Firefly Watch "Join a network of citizen scientists around the country by observing fireflies in your own backyard, and help scientists map fireflies! Report your sightings, then share your photos here." This map covers North and Central America including Iceland
Portugal
Portugal
Bioluminescência (português) "Este é um blog dedicado à bioluminescência de todo o mundo, mas com particular destaque a Portugal. Poesias, reportagens, imagens, descrições científicas é tudo bem vindo a este espaço."
Pirilampo-lusitânico (Luciola lusitanica) (português) uma biografia de insetos do Parque Biológico de Gaia, com fotos
Projecto Pirilampos de Portugal português (PDF) sobre adultos e larvas, com fotos
Seis coisas a saber sobre os pirilampos de Portugal (português) "Em Fevereiro, cientistas alertaram para a possível extinção de algumas das 2.000 espécies de pirilampos do planeta. O biólogo José Manuel Grosso-Silva conta-lhe seis coisas sobre as espécies de Portugal."
Spain
Spain
Les cuques de llum (català / Catalan) "Les cuques de llum també són conegudes en català amb altres noms com lluernes, llumeneres, llumenetes, llumetes, llanternes, cucs/papes de llum, papes llumeneres, cuques llumeres, cucs lluents, cucs de llumeneta, cuquets de llumeta, marietes de llum o papallums (Font: Viquipedia)" Aquesta font inclou noms i enllaços a informació sobre espècies autòctones a Catalunya i espècies exòtiques o no autòctones.
Switzerland
Switzerland
Swiss glow worm survey, 2001 "People have seen Lampyris noctiluca higher than 2000 metres in the Alps on the sunny sides of the mountains). This map shows the regions where French or Italian is spoken, because our survey was only launched in the French area of our country (the few spots in the centre and south are in the Italian-spoken ‘Canton du Tessin’ where another glow-worm species is also present).
It is curious that this glow worm survey is in fact a map of the residential houses (in sunny place, southward): Geneva, north of Lake Geneva, north of Lake Neuchatel, and touristic villages in the Alps. They are all places where people have a garden and spend a part of the night outside in the summer.
We received very few observations from the agricultural zones – a surprise. But we don’t know if people there tried to look for glow worms.
Yves Gonseth, director of the Swiss Centre for Fauna Cartography, is very happy with these results. Of course, they are not scientific. But he thinks that they are of value: before the survey, the centre had no idea of the status of glow worms in Switzerland. He has been surprised by the number of observations and their viability. In conclusion, glow worms are apparently everywhere in Switzerland and survive in the private gardens – a good thing. Hope it will be the same in the future...."
Türkiye /Turkey
Türkiye /Turkey
Ateş Böceği Gözlemleri, Fireflies of Turkey "Başta İstanbul ve Türkiye’deki ateş böceği gözlemlerinin bir arada toplanması amacıyla sayfa oluşturulmuştur."
Wales
Wales
Carmarthenshire Meadows, Wales / Dolydd Sir Gaerfyrddin, Cymru - - "... a map produced from the data held by LERC Wales which indicates the current reported colonies."
North America
North America
This section includes information for Central America, the Caribbean, Canada, and the USA.
A Naturalist’s Long Walk Among Shadows: of North American Photuris (PDF) Includes photos, maps, flashing graphs, and information about scientific techniques.
Biouminescent Insects "If it’s tiny, winged, and flashing in your backyard, it might be a firefly—but it might not. Other species of bugs also glow and use bioluminescence to communicate, find mates, and scare off predators. Here are a few bugs that are commonly misidentified as fireflies—and how to tell the difference."
Firefly Atlas "This heat map shows the density of firefly records across North America. Zoom into the map to explore individual observations and specimen records. Clicking on a point will bring up a small pop-up with information on the species, date of observation or collection, and data source. Use the filters below to further refine the map and tailor your results."
Mass Audubon Firefly Watch "Join a network of citizen scientists around the country by observing fireflies in your own backyard, and help scientists map fireflies! Report your sightings, then share your photos here."
Barbados
Barbados
Firefly Atlas "This heat map shows the density of firefly records across North America. Zoom into the map to explore individual observations and specimen records. Clicking on a point will bring up a small pop-up with information on the species, date of observation or collection, and data source. Use the filters below to further refine the map and tailor your results."
Canada
Canada
A Naturalist’s Long Walk Among Shadows: of North American Photuris (PDF) Includes photos, maps, flashing graphs, and information about scientific techniques.
Conserving the Jewels of the Night Includes a map of the USA and Canada demonstrating number of reported firefly species by region.
Elateroidea (Fireflies) of the Rocky Mountains "Analyze the diversity of Elateroidea during different seasons on the west coast in the Rocky Mountains"
Firefly Atlas "This heat map shows the density of firefly records across North America. Zoom into the map to explore individual observations and specimen records. Clicking on a point will bring up a small pop-up with information on the species, date of observation or collection, and data source. Use the filters below to further refine the map and tailor your results."
Fireflies of Ontario (Coleoptera: Lampyridae) Includes maps from page 56-87 in both Canada and the USA.
Flashes, Behavior and Additional Species of Nearctic Photinus Fireflies (PDF)
Mass Audubon Firefly Watch "Join a network of citizen scientists around the country by observing fireflies in your own backyard, and help scientists map fireflies! Report your sightings, then share your photos here."
Caribbean
Caribbean
Firefly Atlas "This heat map shows the density of firefly records across North America. Zoom into the map to explore individual observations and specimen records. Clicking on a point will bring up a small pop-up with information on the species, date of observation or collection, and data source. Use the filters below to further refine the map and tailor your results."
Mass Audubon Firefly Watch "Join a network of citizen scientists around the country by observing fireflies in your own backyard, and help scientists map fireflies! Report your sightings, then share your photos here."
Central America
Central America
Fireflies of Central America "This is a Firefliers International (FIN) subproject meant to help organize the review and curation of bioluminescent beetles in Central America."
Mass Audubon Firefly Watch "Join a network of citizen scientists around the country by observing fireflies in your own backyard, and help scientists map fireflies! Report your sightings, then share your photos here."
Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic
Firefly Atlas "This heat map shows the density of firefly records across North America. Zoom into the map to explore individual observations and specimen records. Clicking on a point will bring up a small pop-up with information on the species, date of observation or collection, and data source. Use the filters below to further refine the map and tailor your results."
Mass Audubon Firefly Watch "Join a network of citizen scientists around the country by observing fireflies in your own backyard, and help scientists map fireflies! Report your sightings, then share your photos here."
Dominica
Dominica
Firefly Atlas "This heat map shows the density of firefly records across North America. Zoom into the map to explore individual observations and specimen records. Clicking on a point will bring up a small pop-up with information on the species, date of observation or collection, and data source. Use the filters below to further refine the map and tailor your results."
Mass Audubon Firefly Watch "Join a network of citizen scientists around the country by observing fireflies in your own backyard, and help scientists map fireflies! Report your sightings, then share your photos here."
Greenland
Greenland
Mass Audubon Firefly Watch "Join a network of citizen scientists around the country by observing fireflies in your own backyard, and help scientists map fireflies! Report your sightings, then share your photos here."
Guadeloupe
Guadeloupe
Firefly Atlas "This heat map shows the density of firefly records across North America. Zoom into the map to explore individual observations and specimen records. Clicking on a point will bring up a small pop-up with information on the species, date of observation or collection, and data source. Use the filters below to further refine the map and tailor your results."
Mass Audubon Firefly Watch "Join a network of citizen scientists around the country by observing fireflies in your own backyard, and help scientists map fireflies! Report your sightings, then share your photos here."
Martinique
Martinique
Firefly Atlas "This heat map shows the density of firefly records across North America. Zoom into the map to explore individual observations and specimen records. Clicking on a point will bring up a small pop-up with information on the species, date of observation or collection, and data source. Use the filters below to further refine the map and tailor your results."
Mass Audubon Firefly Watch "Join a network of citizen scientists around the country by observing fireflies in your own backyard, and help scientists map fireflies! Report your sightings, then share your photos here."
Mexico
Mexico
A Naturalist’s Long Walk Among Shadows: of North American Photuris (PDF) Includes photos, maps, flashing graphs, and information about scientific techniques.
Biodiversity, Systematics, Biogeography and Conservation of Lampyridae (Insecta: Coleoptera) in Mexico and Central America "Goal: Increase the knowledge of Mexican fireflies "luciernagas" associated with different vegetation types. To study the pattern of relationships among taxa and biogeographic pattern that have led to the diversity and distribution of fireflies in Mexico and Central America.
Analysis of intra and interspecific variation of firefly species with geometric morphometric and molecular tools focusing on species delimitation.
Designing field studies for Biodiversity Conservation of fireflies."Biouminescent Insects "If it’s tiny, winged, and flashing in your backyard, it might be a firefly—but it might not. Other species of bugs also glow and use bioluminescence to communicate, find mates, and scare off predators. Here are a few bugs that are commonly misidentified as fireflies—and how to tell the difference."
Firefly Atlas "This heat map shows the density of firefly records across North America. Zoom into the map to explore individual observations and specimen records. Clicking on a point will bring up a small pop-up with information on the species, date of observation or collection, and data source. Use the filters below to further refine the map and tailor your results."
Flashes, Behavior and Additional Species of Nearctic Photinus Fireflies (PDF)
Mass Audubon Firefly Watch "Join a network of citizen scientists around the country by observing fireflies in your own backyard, and help scientists map fireflies! Report your sightings, then share your photos here."
Revision of the Species of Pyropyga includes diagrams
Southwestern Firefly Finder "Fireflies are a rare sight in the Southwest U.S. and Northern Mexico. That makes their flashing and glowing spectacles all the more enjoyable. This projects aims to better understand the distribution limits of these illusive beetles. Through the Western Firefly Project, which was expanded to New Mexico in 2021, the community will be drawing our attention to possible firefly localities throughout New Mexico and other southwestern states. Members of Southwest Firefly Finder will verify these sightings and submit data related to each finding here."
Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México | UNAM · Zoología, Doctor of Philosophy: Santiago Zaragoza-Caballero Studies in English: Hay estudios en español.
Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México | UNAM · Department of Zoology, BSc Student: Ishwari Giovanni Gutiérrez-Carranza "My BSc thesis is focused on analysis and description of intraspecific variation of firefly species with geometric morphometric tools." Information in English: hay información en español.
Monserrat
Monserrat
Firefly Atlas "This heat map shows the density of firefly records across North America. Zoom into the map to explore individual observations and specimen records. Clicking on a point will bring up a small pop-up with information on the species, date of observation or collection, and data source. Use the filters below to further refine the map and tailor your results."
Mass Audubon Firefly Watch "Join a network of citizen scientists around the country by observing fireflies in your own backyard, and help scientists map fireflies! Report your sightings, then share your photos here."
Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Firefly Atlas "This heat map shows the density of firefly records across North America. Zoom into the map to explore individual observations and specimen records. Clicking on a point will bring up a small pop-up with information on the species, date of observation or collection, and data source. Use the filters below to further refine the map and tailor your results."
Mass Audubon Firefly Watch "Join a network of citizen scientists around the country by observing fireflies in your own backyard, and help scientists map fireflies! Report your sightings, then share your photos here."
Oranjestad
Oranjestad
Firefly Atlas "This heat map shows the density of firefly records across North America. Zoom into the map to explore individual observations and specimen records. Clicking on a point will bring up a small pop-up with information on the species, date of observation or collection, and data source. Use the filters below to further refine the map and tailor your results."
Mass Audubon Firefly Watch "Join a network of citizen scientists around the country by observing fireflies in your own backyard, and help scientists map fireflies! Report your sightings, then share your photos here."
St. Kitts & Nevis
St. Kitts & Nevis
Firefly Atlas "This heat map shows the density of firefly records across North America. Zoom into the map to explore individual observations and specimen records. Clicking on a point will bring up a small pop-up with information on the species, date of observation or collection, and data source. Use the filters below to further refine the map and tailor your results."
Mass Audubon Firefly Watch "Join a network of citizen scientists around the country by observing fireflies in your own backyard, and help scientists map fireflies! Report your sightings, then share your photos here."
USA
USA
This section covers the USA in general, with some state-specific resources at the bottom.
A Naturalist’s Long Walk Among Shadows: of North American Photuris (PDF) Includes photos, maps, flashing graphs, and information about scientific techniques.
Biouminescent Insects "If it’s tiny, winged, and flashing in your backyard, it might be a firefly—but it might not. Other species of bugs also glow and use bioluminescence to communicate, find mates, and scare off predators. Here are a few bugs that are commonly misidentified as fireflies—and how to tell the difference."
Conserving the Jewels of the Night Includes a map of the USA and Canada demonstrating number of reported firefly species by region.
Elateroidea (Fireflies) of the Appalachian Mountains "Discover and compare the different species of fireflies and their abundance at different times of the year within the Great Smoky Mountains National Park for and Honor's Research Project."
Elateroidea (Fireflies) of the Rocky Mountains "Analyze the diversity of Elateroidea during different seasons on the west coast in the Rocky Mountains"
Field Guide to Western North American Fireflies (PDF) includes coloured photos, graphes of flash patterns, maps, and details about specific parks and conservations areas in different US States.
Firefly Atlas "This heat map shows the density of firefly records across North America. Zoom into the map to explore individual observations and specimen records. Clicking on a point will bring up a small pop-up with information on the species, date of observation or collection, and data source. Use the filters below to further refine the map and tailor your results."
Fireflies of Ontario (Coleoptera: Lampyridae) Includes maps from page 56-87 in both Canada and the USA.
Flashes, Behavior and Additional Species of Nearctic Photinus Fireflies (PDF)
Mass Audubon Firefly Watch "Join a network of citizen scientists around the country by observing fireflies in your own backyard, and help scientists map fireflies! Report your sightings, then share your photos here."
North American Fireflies of the Genus Photuris (PDF) Includes flashing graphs, and sketches.
Revision of the Species of Pyropyga (PDF) includes diagrams
Southwestern Firefly Finder "Fireflies are a rare sight in the Southwest U.S. and Northern Mexico. That makes their flashing and glowing spectacles all the more enjoyable. This projects aims to better understand the distribution limits of these illusive beetles. Through the Western Firefly Project, which was expanded to New Mexico in 2021, the community will be drawing our attention to possible firefly localities throughout New Mexico and other southwestern states. Members of Southwest Firefly Finder will verify these sightings and submit data related to each finding here."
New York
Fireflies of NYC "Monitor and track the firefly populations across NYC from June - July"
Texas
Field Guide: Fireflies of Texas "Texas is one of the most bio-diverse states in the continental US. A wide range of ecotypes – from wide open mountain ranges in the west, dense tall forests in the east, brush country of the south, and grasslands of the north – all contributing to extensive and exciting diversity in Texas’s firefly species. This field guide is the first attempt to document collectively the diversity of fireflies in Texas from a standpoint of both studying the morphological features but also documenting species specific behavior and flash patterns. This field guide is a work in progress, as new information is discovered it will be added here or updated frequently." Includes images, bios, and flashing charts.
Fireflies of Texas - Family Lampyridae "There are 40+ species of Lampyrids recorded from Texas" This resource includes photos of fire flies and some of their larva.
Plants for Fireflies This list seems to focus on native plants in Texas, which may or may not be appropriate for other regions. Please research to make sure the plants you use are both native and appropriate for the bioluminscent insects in your region.
Oceana
Oceana
Fireflies of Oceania "This is a Firefliers International (FIN) subproject meant to help organize the review and curation of bioluminescent beetles in Oceania (Australia + Pacific Islands)."
Glow worms and fireflies "Both glow worms and fireflies are not worms and flies as their names suggest! You can read all about these insects here, as well as bioluminescence and how it used by insects and other life forms." from the Wet Tropics Management Authority.
Australia
Australia
Only 3 glow worms have been described in Australia, but there are 25 known firefly species.
"Unlike ground-dwelling, luminescent glowworms, adult fireflies are winged. They flit around all continents bar Antarctica, preferring warm and wet wooded habitats. In Australia, fireflies inhabit the forests and mangroves along the coast of New South Wales, Queensland and the Northern Territory." - Uni Melb: Lightning Bugs Natures Flash Dancers
Blue Mountains Firefly Scientific name: Atyphella lychnus. Lean more here about their habitat, distribution, size range, number of species, history lifecycle, breeding behaviors, and other behaviors/adaptations.
Glow worms and fireflies "Both glow worms and fireflies are not worms and flies as their names suggest! You can read all about these insects here, as well as bioluminescence and how it used by insects and other life forms." from the Wet Tropics Management Authority.
iNaturalist Australia includes a variety of species including bioluminescent bugs like glow worms and fireflies including:
Fiji
Fiji
Fireflies of Oceania "This is a Firefliers International (FIN) subproject meant to help organize the review and curation of bioluminescent beetles in Oceania (Australia + Pacific Islands)."
Guam
Guam
Fireflies of Oceania "This is a Firefliers International (FIN) subproject meant to help organize the review and curation of bioluminescent beetles in Oceania (Australia + Pacific Islands)."
New Caledonia
New Caledonia
Fireflies of Oceania "This is a Firefliers International (FIN) subproject meant to help organize the review and curation of bioluminescent beetles in Oceania (Australia + Pacific Islands)."
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea
Fireflies of Oceania "This is a Firefliers International (FIN) subproject meant to help organize the review and curation of bioluminescent beetles in Oceania (Australia + Pacific Islands)."
Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands
Fireflies of Oceania "This is a Firefliers International (FIN) subproject meant to help organize the review and curation of bioluminescent beetles in Oceania (Australia + Pacific Islands)."
Vanuatu
Vanuatu
Fireflies of Oceania "This is a Firefliers International (FIN) subproject meant to help organize the review and curation of bioluminescent beetles in Oceania (Australia + Pacific Islands)."
South America
South America
Biouminescent Insects "If it’s tiny, winged, and flashing in your backyard, it might be a firefly—but it might not. Other species of bugs also glow and use bioluminescence to communicate, find mates, and scare off predators. Here are a few bugs that are commonly misidentified as fireflies—and how to tell the difference."
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