Species group · Insects

Fireflies

WAnimals has 3 species of firefly, spread across 2 families (Keroplatidae, Lampyridae).

3 species

2 families

48 countries

174 parks

Ranges calculated from the entries that record the figure, not from all 3.

All 3 species of fireflies on WAnimals

Each one has its own full entry. This group does not replace them: it brings them together.

Glow-worm

Lampyris noctiluca

Fungus Gnat

Arachnocampa luminosa

Big Dipper Firefly

Photinus pyralis

2 Not Evaluated1 Least Concern

No species documented in this group is genuinely at risk according to the IUCN, with the data available today.

Recorded in 48 countries. The ones with the most species in the group:

The larva feeds on small snails and slugs, paralysed and consumed by external digestion.
From Glow-worm
It is declining through light pollution, which drowns out the glow it uses to attract a mate.
From Glow-worm
The adults have no working mouthparts and do not feed at all, living off the reserves built up during their long larval stage.
From Glow-worm
Its larvae light the Waitomo caves blue and hunt with sticky threads of silk.
From Fungus Gnat
The larva regulates its glow according to how hungry it is: the longer it goes unfed, the brighter its light.
From Fungus Gnat
The adult has no functional mouthparts: it lives barely a few days, solely to breed, and dies without eating.
From Fungus Gnat
In some populations it synchronises its flashes with nearby males, producing coordinated collective displays whose exact purpose is still under study.
From Big Dipper Firefly
As it flies, the male traces a luminous J every five to seven seconds: hence its name, the big dipper firefly, after the constellation.
From Big Dipper Firefly