Pterotus

Pterotus
Pterotus obscuripennis
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Coleoptera
Suborder:	Polyphaga
Infraorder:	Elateriformia
Family:	Lampyridae
Subfamily:	Pterotinae
Genus:	Pterotus LeConte, 1859
Species
Pterotus curticornis Chemsak, 1978 [1] Pterotus obscuripennis LeConte, 1859 [2]

Pterotus is the sole genus in the firefly subfamily Pterotinae. It is characterized by flabellate antennae with three to ten antennomeres and rami, or branches, of the antennae longer than the antennomeres. ^[3]

Pterotus is found in chaparral habitats on the western coast of North America and in deserts as far east as Jeff Davis County, Texas. ^[4] Adult females are larviform and both emit pheromones and glow to attract non-luminescent males. ^[5] While there are two described species in Pterotus, ^{[6] [7] [8]} whether they are truly separate species is yet unclear. ^[4]

References

1. Chemsak, John A. (1978). "A New Species of Pterotus LeConte from California (Coleoptera: Lampyridae)". The Pan-Pacific Entomologist. 54 (2): 157–158.
2. LeConte, J. L. (1859). "Catalogue of the Coleoptera of Fort Tejon, California". Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. 11: 69–90.
3. The Xerces Society (2023-05-18). Firefly Identification Course Module 3: Firefly Genera of the US and Canada . Retrieved 2026-01-25– via YouTube.
4. Anna Walker (Albuquerque Biopark, New Mexico); Ben Pfeiffer (Firefly Conservation & Research (Nonprofit)) (2020-12-11). "IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Pterotus curticornis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Archived from the original on 2025-05-06.
5. "Pterotus obscuripennis - NatureServe Explorer 2.0". explorer.natureserve.org. Retrieved 2026-01-25.
6. "Pterotus Report". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 2025-12-26.
7. "Pterotus". GBIF. Retrieved 2019-09-24.
8. "Pterotus genus Information". BugGuide.net. Retrieved 2019-09-24.

Further reading

• Lloyd, J. E. (2003). "On research and entomological education VI: Firefly species and lists, old and new". The Florida Entomologist. 86 (2): 99–113. doi: 10.1653/0015-4040(2003)086[0099:ORAEEV]2.0.CO;2 . JSTOR   3496275.
• Lobl, I.; Smetana, A., eds. (2007). Catalogue of Palaearctic Coleoptera, Volume 4: Elateroidea - Derodontoidea - Bostrichoidea - Lymexyloidea - Cleroidea - Cucujoidea. Apollo Books. ISBN   978-8788757675.