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eeding on earthworms. I would supp --Apple-Mail-505--552154571 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed; delsp=yes Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Hi folks, Those who are following this thread may be interested in some further information on fireflies. Twelve species have been recorded in Nova Scotia (and a thirteenth probably occurs) in the genera Pyractomena, Photinus, Ellychnica, Pyropyga, Lucidota, Phosphaenus, and Photuris. One of these, Phosphaenus hemipterus (Fourcroy), is a flightless introduced European species originally recorded in Yarmouth over 50 years ago and not reported since. Enterprising NatureNS readers in the Yarmouth area could do a service to Nova Scotia entomology be looking for flightless fireflies in the Yarmouth area. If you see one, by all means collect it! Photographs of it are available at: http://www.entomologie.de/fotos/phoshemi.htm In general, if you see and can capture a firefly or two from your area we would love to add them to our collection to better gauge the distribution of these fascinating insects in the province. Species such as Pyractomena linearis, Phosphaenus hemipterus , Photinus aquilonius, and Photuris fairchildi have only been recorded from a handfull of localities in the province, and counties such as Inverness, Cape Breton, Victoria, Richmond, Shelburne, Yarmouth, Digby, and Hants all have records of fewer than five species species. If you are particularly enterprising, of great value would be a record of the flashing pattern of the fireflies you capture (a stopwatch timing the repeating dot-dash pattern will do the trick). For genera such as Photuris, it is often only through flashing patterns that species may be distinguished. In the USA a pioneering DNA study is beginning, analyzing the DNA of several thousand voucher specimens for which flash-pattern information is available. James E. Lloyd (the author of the Lampyrid chapter in "American Beetles") says (amongst many other fascinating things): "Male flash patterns show considerable variation among species, and sometimes a range of distinct patterns within species. Several flash patterns consist of single flashes or groups of short flashes of various timing characteristics; these are repeated at fairly regular but temperature dependent (advertising) intervals. Other variations in species-typical flash patterns include intensity modulations within single pulses of light, resulting in flickers, crescendos, and bimodal twinkles." In general males (in the luminescent "lightningbug-firefly" group) flash while flying in order to attract the attention of females who are usually on the ground (indeed in some species the females are flightless with reduced wings and elytra, even verging towards being larviform). Females then respond, initiating a change in behaviour (i.e. approach and land) and flashing patterns in the male. Flashing patterns are, however, used by some fireflies for many other purposes. They will flash on takeoff and landing to provide illumination for themselves to see what they are doing. Some flashing patterns are aposematic (i.e. warning patterns). James Lloyd working with the genus Photuris has recorded up to 21 varieties of flashing patterns with "meanings" such as: a) caught in spider web; b) walking through grass; c) grasped by wolf spider Clearly a fascinating "language" to try and decode! All the best, Chris On 15-Jul-08, at 9:12 AM, Mary Macaulay wrote: > We have lovely fireflies up at our fen at Angevine Lake Cumberland > County. the first ones that come out (they emerged about a month > ago) were flying and flashing very high up in the trees. About two > weeks ago another lot emerged floating about at ground level and > slighly above. > M > > > > From: roland.mccormick@ns.sympatico.ca > To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca > Subject: Re: [NatureNS] Fireflies > Date: Sun, 13 Jul 2008 19:14:01 -0300 > > > Fireflies? > Sixty years ago in Bear River we had hundreds, if not > thousands of them on the marshes at the head of the tide. Those same > marshes were full of peepers, and you could hear them from far away. > I have often wished I could go back to that country early in the > spring and see if any where still there - I doubt they would be that > plentiful now. > > Roland. > ----- Original Message ----- > From: Christopher Majka > To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca > Sent: Sunday, July 13, 2008 4:38 PM > Subject: Re: [NatureNS] Fireflies > > Hi John, > > On 13-Jul-08, at 1:46 PM, John Sollows wrote: > > When I was but a youngster (let's say, up till about 1970) fireflies > in the summer were commonplace, here in the Yarmouth area. It has > been years since I have seen one. > > Well, one was flashing in the grass about ten days ago here on the > Wyman Road, and I have heard another report from a youngster who was > wondering what he had seen. > > This summer is foggier than many in recent years; I am calling it a > "'60's summer." > > Hmm ... I wonder if our fireflies like high humidity. > > In my experience fireflies do like humid conditions. Many species > live near cattail marshes or in low wet pastures. In Nova Scotia we > have three species in the genus Pyractomena that specialize in > feeding on snails, and three species in the genus Photinus, that > specialize in feeding on earthworms. I would suppose that moist > conditions favour both snails and earthworms, and hence of these > firefly larvae that feed on them. > > Cheers! > > Chris > > Christopher Majka > Nova Scotia Museum, 1747 Summer St., Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada > B3H 3A6 > c.majka@ns.sympatico.ca > > > > Christopher Majka Nova Scotia Museum, 1747 Summer St., Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada B3H 3A6 c.majka@ns.sympatico.ca --Apple-Mail-505--552154571 Content-Type: text/html; charset=US-ASCII Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <html><body style=3D"word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; = -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; ">Hi = folks,<div><br></div><div>Those who are following this thread may be = interested in some further information on fireflies. Twelve species have = been recorded in Nova Scotia (and a thirteenth probably occurs) in the = genera <i>Pyractomena, Photinus, Ellychnica, Pyropyga,= Lucidota, Phosphaenus,</i> and&nb