Chespirito (beetle)

Chespirito
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Coleoptera
Suborder:	Polyphaga
Infraorder:	Elateriformia
Family:	Lampyridae
Subfamily:	Chespiritoinae
Genus:	Chespirito Ferreira, Keller, & Branham, 2020 [1]
Species [2]
C. ballantyneae Ferreira, Keller and Branham, 2020 C. costae Ferreira, Keller and Ivie, 2022 C. hintoni Ferreira, Keller and Ivie, 2022 C. lloydi Ferreira, Keller and Branham, 2020 C. milleri Ferreira, Keller and Ivie, 2022 C. zaragozai Ferreira, Keller and Branham, 2020

Chespirito is a genus of fireflies (family Lampyridae). They are the type genus and sole constituent of the subfamily Chespiritoinae. This genus is somewhat unusual among fireflies in a complete lack of bioluminescent organs in the adults. ^[1]

Distribution

Chespirito is only known to occur in Mexico but is hypothesized to occur in nearby countries, such as Guatemala, Belize and Honduras. ^[1]

Systematics and nomenclature

The genus Chespirito is not closely related to any other firefly lineages, and is given placement as the sole member of its own subfamily. The genus name is in homage to the Mexican actor Roberto Gómez Bolaños, commonly known by his stage name Chespirito, or "Little Shakespeare". ^[1]

References

1. Ferreira, VS, Keller, O, Branham, MA (2020) Multilocus phylogeny support the nonbioluminescent firefly Chespirito as a new subfamily in the Lampyridae (Coleoptera: Elateroidea). Insect Systematics and Diversity 4(6) https://doi.org/10.1093/isd/ixaa014
2. "Chespirito Report". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 2025-09-07.