| Photinus cookii | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Coleoptera |
| Suborder: | Polyphaga |
| Infraorder: | Elateriformia |
| Family: | Lampyridae |
| Genus: | Photinus |
| Species: | P. cookii |
| Binomial name | |
| Photinus cookii Green, 1956 | |
Photinus cookii, or Cook's firefly [2] is a species of day-active firefly in the beetle family Lampyridae. [3] It is found in North America in the Eastern USA, including Florida and Texas. [4] [5] [6]
P. cookii is a small beetle, with adults measuring 5–7 mm (0.2–0.3 in) long. The wing covers, or elytra, are dark, with wide, light-colored side margins. The head shield, or pronotum, is pale yellow with a dark bar in the center, reaching from the top of the pronotum to the base. The body has short hairs, which are visible with a microscope. P. cookii does not have working lanterns on its abdomen, although there may be small vestigial lanterns or light patches on the final 2 segments. The males and the females are similar in appearance. [2] [7]
The genus name Photinus is from the Greek word for shining or bright. [8] The species was first described by John Wagener Green in 1956. [7] The species is named as an honorific for Mr. Carl Cook, who had collected the holotype male and other specimens in Carilhope, Kentucky, 11-VII-1946. The species name is therefore noun in genitive case.
Several years later Lloyd (1966) [9] published an overview of Photinus in USA, and wrote the name as "Photinus cooki" (i.e. altering the ending to a single "i" as "cooki"), perhaps considering it as a correction; but per nomenclatural regulations in ICZN 31.1, the original spelling of "cookii" is admissible and therefore it is subsequently retained.
Beetles such as P. cookii go through four life stages: egg, larva, pupa, and adult. Photinus fireflies spend the majority of their lives as larvae, which are bioluminescent and likely live below the soil surface, eating snails, worms, and other soft-bodied invertebrates. Adult P. cookii appear in summer, in June and July. [1] [2]
P. cookii is a non-flashing firefly, active during the day rather than at night. It is believed that these fireflies locate a mate using pheromones. [2]
Adults are seen during the day in gardens, yards, open woodlands, fencerows, and open areas. [2]
This species has been reported from Missouri to the north, Alabama to the south, North Carolina to the east, and Texas to the west. [1]
