| Photuris mysticalampas | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Coleoptera |
| Family: | Lampyridae |
| Genus: | Photuris |
| Species: | P. mysticalampas |
| Binomial name | |
| Photuris mysticalampas Heckscher, 2013 | |
Photuris mysticalampas, also called the mysterious lantern firefly, is an endangered synchronous-flashing firefly species described in 2013. [2]
It is found in Delaware (in the Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge) and also the border between Delaware and Maryland (within a 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) radius from the Nanticoke Wildlife Area and also within the area itself), two states within the United States, and it has not been spotted outside of the Delmarva Peninsula. It was once more widespread across Delaware, but it is now restricted to the south of the state. [1] P. mysticalampas is found in inland wetland environments.
The biggest threats causing it to become endangered are pollution, climate change and severe weather changes. [1] According to observations by Heckscher (2020), deep peat with sphagnum hummocks and dense vegetation appears to be an important habitat feature for the species, and larvae may be restricted to those areas. In 2023, this species was petitioned to be listed as endangered species under the US Endangered Species Act [3] [4]
Adults can be seen emerging from sphagnum hummocks at dusk.[ citation needed ] It flies from mid-June into late-July and it can reach lengths of up to 9 centimetres (3.5 in) long when fully grown.
The Lampyridae are a family of elateroid beetles with more than 2,000 described species, many of which are light-emitting. They are soft-bodied beetles commonly called fireflies, lightning bugs, or glowworms for their conspicuous production of light, mainly during twilight, to attract mates. Light production in the Lampyridae is thought to have originated as a warning signal that the larvae were distasteful. This ability to create light was then co-opted as a mating signal and, in a further development, adult female fireflies of the genus Photuris mimic the flash pattern of the Photinus beetle in order to trap their males as prey.
The Delmarva Peninsula, or simply Delmarva, is a large peninsula on the East Coast of the United States, occupied by the vast majority of the state of Delaware and parts of the Eastern Shore of Maryland and Eastern Shore of Virginia.
Slaughter Beach is a town in Sussex County, Delaware, United States, located on the southwest shore of Delaware Bay. The population was 207 at the 2010 census, an increase of 4.5% over the past decade. It is part of the Salisbury, Maryland-Delaware Metropolitan Statistical Area.
The Xerces blue is a recently extinct species of butterfly in the gossamer-winged butterfly family, Lycaenidae. The species lived in coastal sand dunes of the Sunset District of the San Francisco Peninsula in California. The Xerces blue is believed to be the first American butterfly species to become extinct as a result of loss of habitat caused by urban development. The last Xerces blue was seen in 1941 or 1943 on land that is now part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.
The Delmarva fox squirrel is a formerly endangered subspecies of the fox squirrel. It is native to the eastern United States. The Delmarva fox squirrel was removed from the Endangered Species List effective December 2015.
The Western barred bandicoot, also known as the Shark Bay bandicoot or the Marl, is a small species of bandicoot; now extinct across most of its former range, the western barred bandicoot only survives on offshore islands and in fenced sanctuaries on the mainland.
The Sand Mountain blue is a lycaenid butterfly of the "blue" subfamily that is only found around the Sand Mountain Recreation Area near Fallon, Nevada. It is a subspecies of the pallid blue.
The Great Cypress Swamp, is a forested freshwater swamp located on the Delmarva Peninsula in south Delaware and southeastern Maryland, United States. As of 2000, it is the largest contiguous forest on the Delmarva Peninsula.
The carpenter frog is a species of true frog found on coastal plain of the Atlantic coast of the United States between central New Jersey and northeastern Florida.
Photuris pensylvanica, known by the common names Pennsylvania firefly, lightning bug, dot-dash firefly and glowworm, is a species of firefly from the United States and Canada. It is also widely known under the Latin name Photuris pennsylvanica, although the original spelling, with one "n", was common in Latinized names of the time and remains the valid name.
Photinus pyralis, also known by the common names the common eastern firefly or big dipper firefly, and sometimes called a "lightning bug", is a species of flying beetle. An organ on its abdomen is responsible for its light production. It is the most common species of firefly in North America, and is typically found east of the Rocky Mountains. Photinus fireflies are often confused with fireflies of the similar-sounding genus, Photuris, which are also found in North America.
Franklin's bumblebee is one of the most narrowly distributed bumblebee species, making it a critically endangered bee of the western United States. It lives only in a 190-by-70-mile area in southern Oregon and northern California, between the Coast and Sierra-Cascade mountain ranges. It was last seen in 2006. Franklin's bumblebee collects nectar and pollen from several wildflowers, such as lupine, California poppy, and horsemint, which causes it to be classified as a generalist forager.
Sphagnum fuscum, the rusty bogmoss or rusty peat moss, is a peat moss found commonly in Norway and Sweden, and can be found scattered across North America, the United Kingdom, and in southern to eastern Europe.
Bombus crotchii, commonly called Crotch's bumblebee, is a species of bumblebee named after the entomologist George Robert Crotch. It is classified as endangered due to the impacts of pesticides, climate change, and human development.
Ellychnia corrusca, the winter firefly, is a species of firefly in the genus Ellychnia. It is a lantern-less diurnal beetle common in the United States, Mexico, and Canada. The adults spend winter on a colony tree, favoring Quercus (oak), Carya (hickory), and Liriodendron tulipifera.
Photuris frontalis is a synchronous-flashing firefly species in the beetle family Lampyridae.
Pyractomena ecostata, the keel-necked firefly, is an endangered species of firefly in the beetle family Lampyridae.
Assawoman Wildlife Area is a state wildlife area located in Sussex County, Delaware located near Frankfort, Delaware and Little Assawoman Bay. It is made up of three large tracts of land that total 3,100 acres (1,300 ha) that were originally former farms that were lost due to the Great Depression, and managed by the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC). The wildlife areas name came from the nearby Little Assawoman Bay which was originally named Assateague, an Algonkian word meaning "stream or inlet in the middle" before it was changed to another Algonkian name which means "midway fishing stream."
Photuris bethaniensis, also known as the Bethany Beach firefly, is a species of firefly in the genus Photuris. It is found in interdunal swale habitats along a 25 kilometre stretch of shoreline in Sussex County, Delaware. It is extremely rare and in decline. The main threats to this species include habitat loss due to coastal development, sea level rise, light pollution, and the lowering of groundwater aquifers. This species has an estimated extent of occurrence of 33 km2, and the entire population occurs within one location, as the main threat will probably impact all sites within the current known distribution by the end of the century. Various historical collection sites no longer contain this species, and the occurrence locality thought to hold the largest number of individuals, has recently been lost to a housing development. Therefore, continuing decline in the area of occupancy has been observed; continuing decline in the extent of occurrence is projected, as all remaining occurrences contain few individuals and face myriad threats; continuing decline in the area, extent, and quality of habitat has been observed; continuing decline in locations is projected as the sea level rises; and, as a result of the recent loss of a site, a decline in the number of mature individuals is inferred. As such, this species is listed as Critically Endangered under criteria B1ab.
Sara Margery Lewis is an American biologist, professor, author, and firefly expert.
