Illuminating Firefly Diversity: Trends, Threats and Conservation Strategies.

Fireflies are a diverse group of bioluminescent beetles belonging to the family Lampyridae. Recent research on their diversity, evolution, behavior and conservation has greatly advanced our scientific understanding of these charismatic insects. In this review, we first summarize new discoveries about their taxonomic and ecological diversity, then focus on recent endeavors to identify and protect threatened fireflies around the world.

Three new species of emLamprigera/em Motschulsky (Coleoptera, Lampyridae) from China, with notes on known species.

Lamprigera is found only in those countries from the Himalaya-Karakoran -Tibet region to SE Asia where 17 species have been previously recorded. These 17 include four species from China. In this work, combined molecular data (COI) and morphological traits identified eight species in our collections.

sp. n. (Coleoptera, Lampyridae): a new ototretine firefly from Hong Kong with descriptions of its bioluminescent behavior and ultraviolet-induced fluorescence in females.

The first species with associated males and female was found in Hong Kong and is described as new: Adults of both sexes were collected live in the field and their bioluminescent behavior is reported for the first time in the genus. The captive males emit weak and continuous light from a pair of light spots on abdominal ventrite 6 or do so when disturbed. The larviform (highly paedomorphic) females can glow brightly from a pair of light-emitting organs on the abdomen.

TiLIA: a software package for image analysis of firefly flash patterns.

As flash signaling patterns of fireflies are species specific, signal-pattern analysis is important for understanding this system of communication. Here, we present time-lapse image analysis (TiLIA), a free open-source software package for signal and flight pattern analyses of fireflies that uses video-recorded image data. TiLIA enables flight path tracing of individual fireflies and provides frame-by-frame coordinates and light intensity data.