Photinus consanguineus

Photinus consanguineus, or Double Cousin Firefly[2] is a species of firefly in the genus Photinus.[3] It is found in eastern North America.[3]

Photinus consanguineus
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Coleoptera
Family: Lampyridae
Genus: Photinus
Species:
P. consanguineus
Binomial name
Photinus consanguineus
LeConte, 1852

Description

P. consanguineus is a medium-sized beetle, with adults that measure about 10 mm (0.4 in) long. The head shield, or pronotum, is pale yellow with a black, rectangular central mark bounded by red or pink. The wing covers, or elytra, are dark with well-defined, light-colored margins. The species has lanterns in segments 6 and 7 of its abdomen. It is nearly identical in appearance to Photinus macdermotti and Photinus greeni.[2]

Life Cycle

Beetles such as P. consanguineus 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.[1][2]

Behavior

Adult male P. consanguineus fireflies fly 0.5–1.5 m (1.6–4.9 ft) off the ground and flash to attract the attention of females. Their flash pattern consists of two quick pulses of light, with each pulse approximately 0.2 seconds in length, with a period of 0.4 to 0.6 seconds of darkness before the next set of 2 pulses. A female responds with an answering flash from a perch on low vegetation. The male and female communicate in this way until the male finds the female and they mate.[4]

Range

P. consanguineus is found in the eastern United States from Texas to the west and in Canada in Manitoba, Nova Scotia, and Ontario.[1]

References
  1. Walker, A. 2021. Photinus consanguineus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2021: e.T164076552A166771788. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-1.RLTS.T164076552A166771788.en. Accessed on 02 September 2023.
  2. Faust, Lynn Frierson (2017). Fireflies, Glow-worms, and Lightning Bugs. University of Georgia Press. ISBN 978-0-8203-4872-8.
  3. "Photinus consanguineus Report". Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS). Retrieved 2018-01-18.
  4. Lloyd, J.E. (1966). "Studies on the Flash Communication System in Photinus Fireflies". Miscellaneous publications (University of Michigan. Museum of Zoology) (130): 1–95.

Further reading
  • Arnett, R.H. Jr., M. C. Thomas, P. E. Skelley and J. H. Frank. (eds.). (2002). American Beetles, Volume II: Polyphaga: Scarabaeoidea through Curculionoidea. CRC Press LLC, Boca Raton, FL.
  • Luk, Stephen P. L., Stephen A. Marshall, and Marc A. Branham (2011). "The Fireflies of Ontario (Coleoptera: Lampyridae)". Canadian Journal of Arthropod Identification, no. 16, 1–105.
  • McDermott, F. A. / Steel, W. O., ed. (1966). "Lampyridae". Coleopterorum Catalogus Supplementa, pars 9, 149.
  • Richard E. White. (1983). Peterson Field Guides: Beetles. Houghton Mifflin Company.
  • Ross H. Arnett. (2000). American Insects: A Handbook of the Insects of America North of Mexico. CRC Press.


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