Fireflies (family Lampyridae), also known as lightning bugs, are nocturnal, luminous beetles. This name comes from the fact that some species as adults emit flashes of light to attract mates, using special light-emitting organs in the abdomen. The chemical controlling the light emission, luciferase, is of scientific interest, and genes for producing it have been spliced into many different organisms.
The flashing and flying pattern that fireflies use is distinct for each species.
Many species of lampyrid beetles do not glow as adults, but they all glow as larvae. The larvae of fireflies are generally known as glowworms (but see Phengodidae). The function of glowing in the larvae is the subject of speculation, since it is clearly not for mating. It may be protective since the usual conformation is two eye-spot like glowing patches.
There are more than 2000 species of firefly, found in temperate and tropical environments around the world.
Lampyridae is monophyletic with the exception of a few taxa that have been of controversial affinity (Harmatelia, Drilaster, Pterotus, and Stenocladius.) Two genera currently classified as phengodids (Dioptoma and Diplocladon) were placed with rhagophthalmids in this phylogenetic analysis.
Females of luminous cantharoid taxa, excluding Lampyridae, generally posses the same photic organ morphology as their larvae, which is generally paired, luminous spots on the post-lateral margins on some of the thoracic and each of the abdominal segments (Table 2).
While some researchers have previously hypothesized that the familiesLampyridae and Phengodidae were close relatives and shared the charismatic ability to produce bioluminescent signals, these two families are perhaps more interesting than previously thought because they are not closely related and their bioluminescence is convergent.
Lampyridae occur in all major regions of the world, but are absent from New Zealand and most of Australia.
Included among the Lampyridae are the typical fireflies, which may be luminescent as adults and larvae; however light organs are absent in many groups or in some species of typically luminescent genera, such as Photinus.
McDermott, F. Illustrations of the aedeagi of the Lampyridae (Coleoptera).
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