Fire Flies – Lighting Bugs – Lampyridae

Lightning Bugs

 

Family: Lampyridae

Common Name: Fireflies, Lightning Bugs, Glowworms

Appearance: Fireflies are almost 19 mm long soft-bodied insects having brown or black color and soft leathery forewings. The pronotum is usually orange or red, and the lower end of the abdomen is yellowish-green which produces green, red, or yellow light depending on the species. Fireflies are mostly nocturnal. Its larvae are specifically called glowworms because they don’t have wings and glow continuously without blinking.

Host Plants or Food: Snails, slugs, earthworms, etc.

Territory: About 175 species are found throughout North America.

Mode of Damage: Beneficial Garden Insect

Habits and Life History:

• Fireflies are mostly nocturnal, but some species are diurnal and crepuscular also. They are mostly active during spring and summer.
• They mostly live in grasslands, meadows, marshes, yards, and near streams.
• Female and male fireflies impart certain mating signals like flashes or some movements or other signals, depending on the species.
• Female lays eggs under the loose soil, eggs hatch within 3-4 weeks, and larvae come out.
• Fireflies spend their winter as larvae, come out of the soil in spring, and then undergo pupation.