The Bethany Beach firefly will be the first firefly to receive protection under the federal Endangered Species Act
Media contacts:
Richard Joyce, Endangered Species Conservation Biologist, Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, (864) 668-5598, [email protected]
Sarina Jepsen, Endangered Species Program Director, The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, (971) 244-3727, [email protected]
PORTLAND, Ore.; September 30, 2024 — Responding to a petition from the Xerces Society and Center for Biological Diversity, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will propose to list the Bethany Beach firefly as a threatened species under the U.S. Endangered Species Act on October 1, as announced today in the advance Federal Register.
“The Bethany Beach firefly is the first firefly to be proposed for listing in the US, and is one of the most imperiled firefly species in the country,” said Richard Joyce, a firefly conservation biologist with the Xerces Society. “Protection under the Endangered Species Act will help to address many of the threats that this firefly faces, and we are pleased to see USFWS extend protection for such an at-risk species.”
The Bethany Beach firefly is a rare and declining bioluminescent beetle currently known only to inhabit a narrow swath of coastal habitat along the Atlantic shore of Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia. While many of the sites where it persists are on federal or state managed land, the largest known population was on private land and appears to have been destroyed by housing development.
In addition to coastal development, major threats to this species include decreased water quality, recreational activities and related infrastructure, habitat fragmentation, light pollution, pesticides and invasive plants. These fireflies are also vulnerable to climate change impacts, including sea level rise, increased incidence of severe storms, and increased temperatures and phenological shifts, which are changes in the timing of a species’ life cycle events.
There are 174 described firefly species in the U.S. and Canada. One in three of these species may be threatened with extinction and more than half don’t have enough data for scientists to determine their status, according to an assessment published in PLOS One by the Xerces Society, ABQ BioPark, and the IUCN Firefly Specialist Group.
The Xerces Society and the Center for Biological Diversity submitted the joint petition for the emergency listing of the Bethany Beach firefly (Photuris bethaniensis) in 2019. The firefly is already listed as a state endangered species in Delaware. However, no concrete regulations previously existed to protect the Bethany Beach firefly and its habitat.
“The Bethany Beach firefly is a striking example of how magical insects can be, as well as how precious and unique our coastal wetlands are,” said Joyce. “If we can protect this firefly, it will also protect this rare habitat and the creatures within it – a natural beauty that can’t be replicated anywhere else.”
In 2023, Xerces launched the Firefly Atlas, a collaborative effort to map firefly species across the US and Canada. The Bethany Beach firefly is a focal species for the Atlas, with Xerces staff, partner agencies, and community scientists conducting surveys for this and other Mid-Atlantic fireflies. Xerces continues to work with partners and host annual meetings dedicated to the conservation of the Bethany Beach fireflies and other fireflies of conservation concern.
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The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation is a donor-supported nonprofit organization that protects our world through the conservation of invertebrates and their habitats. Xerces works throughout North America to conserve pollinators and other invertebrates, protect endangered species, and reduce pesticide use and impacts.