[NatureNS] Fireflies

From: Christopher Majka <c.majka@ns.sympatico.ca>
To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca
Date: Tue, 15 Jul 2008 09:42:10 -0300
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eeding on earthworms. I would supp

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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




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<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&nbsp;<i>Pyractomena,&nbsp;Photinus,&nbsp;Ellychnica,&nbsp;Pyropyga,=
&nbsp;Lucidota,&nbsp;Phosphaenus,</i> and&nb