Photuris

This article is about the genus of fireflies. For the computer protocol, see Photuris (protocol).

Photuris is a genus of fireflies (beetles of the family Lampyridae). These are the femme fatale lightning bugs of North America. This common name refers to a behavior of the adult females of these predatory beetles; they engage in aggressive mimicry, imitating the light signals of other firefly species' females to attract mates – but Photuris use it to attract, kill and eat the unsuspecting males of those other species. Their flashing bioluminescent signals seem to have evolved independently and eventually adapted to those of their prey, mainly unrelated Lampyrinae, such as Photinus (rover fireflies) or Pyractomena.^[1]

Photuris
P. lucicrescens
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Coleoptera
Family:	Lampyridae
Subfamily:	Photurinae
Genus:	Photuris Dejean, 1833
Species
See text

Species

At least 64 species are currently recognized,^[2] all restricted to temperate North America.^[3] They mainly occur from the East Coast to Texas.^[4] Species include:

• Photuris aureolucens [nl] – Barber, 1951
• Photuris bethaniensis– McDermott, 1953
• Photuris caerulescens [nl] – Barber, 1951
• Photuris cinctipennis [sv] – Barber, 1951
• Photuris congener [sv]– LeConte, 1852
• Photuris divisa [nl]– LeConte, 1852
• Photuris fairchildi– Barber, 1951
• Photuris flavicollis [nl]– Fall, 1927
• Photuris floridana – Fall, 1927
• Photuris frontalis – LeConte, 1852
• Photuris hebes – Barber, 1951
• Photuris lineaticollis – Motschulsky, 1854
• Photuris llyodi – McDermott, 1966
• Photuris lucicrescens – Barber, 1951
• Photuris missouriensis – McDermott, 1962
• Photuris mysticalampas – Heckscher, 2013
• Photuris pensylvanica – De Geer, 1774
• Photuris potomaca – Barber, 1951
• Photuris pyralomina – Barber, 1951
• Photuris quadrifulgens– Barber, 1951
• Photuris salina– Barber, 1951
• Photuris hebes – Barber, 1951
• Photuris versicolor – Fabricius, 1798
• Photuris walldoxeyi– Faust and Davis, 2019

References

1. Kathrin F. Stanger-Hall; James E. Lloyd & David M. Hillis (2007). "Phylogeny of North American lightning bugs(Coleoptera: Lampyridae): Implications for the evolution of light signals". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 45 (1): 33–49. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2007.05.013. PMID 17644427.
2. Lloyd, James E. (2003). "On research and entomological education VI: Firefly species and lists, old and now". The Florida Entomologist. 86 (2): 99–113. doi:10.1653/0015-4040(2003)086[0099:ORAEEV]2.0.CO;2. JSTOR 3496269. S2CID 85628883.
3. Arnett, R.H. Jr.; M. C. Thomas; P. E. Skelley; J. H. Frank, eds. (2002). American Beetles, Volume II: Polyphaga: Scarabaeoidea through Curculionoidea. Boca Raton, Florida: CRC Press. ISBN 0849309549.
4. Sharp, Kelly. "Photuris versicolor". Animal Diversity Web. Retrieved 4 December 2014.