Photuris pyralomima
Firefly icon. (Natasha Sinegina, CC-BY-4.0 / https://creazilla.com/nodes/2473-firefly-silhouette.)
U.S. State
Delaware
Life History
Activity Period and Flash Signal
Males emit a single, yellowish, half second flash-glow every 6 seconds to attract females.
Distribution
This firefly occurs in Delaware.
Habitat Associations
This rare firefly is found in open habitats including moist meadows, hayfields, and fields with dense scrub-shrub vegetation, such as those that have been left to fallow.
Conservation Status
- IUCN Red List status: Endangered
- NatureServe status: G1? – Critically Imperiled, S1S3 (Delaware)
- U.S. Endangered Species Act status: Not listed
Threats
Habitat loss and light pollution are the greatest threats to this species.
Conservation Needs
- We need to know more about the distribution of this species. Please check out the Firefly Atlas to help us track and conserve this threatened firefly.
- Turn off your outdoor lights at night so the lights of this firefly aren’t diminished by light pollution. You can read more about firefly-friendly lighting in our fact sheet.
- Avoid pesticide use, which could harm this firefly, its habitat, or its prey.
- Habitat loss is a major threat to this species. If you own land with old field habitat within the range of this firefly, consider protecting and maintaining it by mowing once every one to two years.
- More research on population size and trend, habitats and ecology, and threats is needed for this species.
Prepared By
Candace Fallon, The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, based on the IUCN Red List assessment
USA
