Photinus_macdermotti
Photinus macdermotti
Species of beetle
Photinus macdermotti, or Father Mac's firefly[2] or Mr. Mac,[3] is a species of firefly in the family Lampyridae.[2][4] It is found in North America.[4]
| Photinus macdermotti | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Coleoptera |
| Family: | Lampyridae |
| Genus: | Photinus |
| Species: | P. macdermotti |
| Binomial name | |
| Photinus macdermotti Lloyd, 1966 | |
P. macdermotti is a medium-sized beetle, with adults that measure about 10 mm (0.4 in) long. The head shield, or pronotum, is pale yellow with a black, rectangular central mark bounded by red or pink. The wing covers, or elytra, are dark with well-defined, light-colored margins. The male has lanterns in segments 6 and 7 of its abdomen, and the female has only one lantern. It is nearly identical in appearance to Photinus consanguineus and Photinus greeni.[3]
Beetles such as P. macdermotti 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.[1][3]
Adult male P. macdermotti fireflies fly 0.3–1.2 m (1–4 ft) off the ground and flash to attract the attention of females. Their flash pattern consists of two quick pulses of light, with each pulse approximately 0.25 seconds in length, with a period of 2 seconds of darkness before the next set of 2 pulses at 70 °F (21.1 °C). A female responds with an answering flash from a perch on low vegetation. The male and female communicate in this way until the male finds the female and they mate.[3]
These fireflies can be found in both lower-elevation forests and higher-elevation river valleys and open forests.[3]
P. macdermotti is found in the eastern United States from Oklahoma to the west, Florida to the south, and New England to the north. It is also found in Ontario, Canada.[1]
- Walker, A. (2021). "Photinus macdermotti". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2021: e.T164046511A166771643. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-1.RLTS.T164046511A166771643.en. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
- "Photinus macdermotti Species Information". BugGuide.net. Retrieved 3 February 2018.
- Faust, Lynn Frierson (2017). Fireflies, Glow-worms, and Lightning Bugs. University of Georgia Press. ISBN 978-0-8203-4872-8.
- "Photinus macdermotti Report". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 3 February 2018.
- Lloyd, James E. (1966). "Two cryptic new firefly species in the genus Photinus (Coleoptera: Lampyridae)". The Coleopterists Bulletin, vol. 20, no. 2, 43–46.
- Lloyd, James E. (1969). "Flashes, Behavior and Additional species of Nearctic Photinus Fireflies (Coleoptera: Lampyridae)". The Coleopterists Bulletin, vol. 23, no. 2, 29–41.
- Arnett, R. H. Jr., M. C. Thomas, P. E. Skelley and J. H. Frank. (eds.). (21 June 2002). American Beetles, Volume II: Polyphaga: Scarabaeoidea through Curculionoidea. CRC Press LLC, Boca Raton, Florida ISBN 978-0-8493-0954-0.
- Arnett, Ross H. (2000). American Insects: A Handbook of the Insects of America North of Mexico. CRC Press.
- Richard E. White. (1983). Peterson Field Guides: Beetles. Houghton Mifflin Company.
