| Scientific Name | Male - dorsal  Male - ventral  Click scans to enlarge. Discover Life in America scans. |
||||
| Photinus carolinus Green - ATBI Database: Specimen Records | |||||
| Common Name | |||||
| Synchronous firefly | |||||
| Kingdom | Phylum | Class | Order | Family | |
| Animalia | Arthropoda | Insecta | Coleoptera | Lampyridae | |
| Animals | Arthropods | Insects | Beetles | Fireflies | |
This is the “synchronous firefly.” The pattern is a series of 5-8 flashes of yellow light, with all individuals in an area displaying this sparkling pattern (see flash pattern below). This is followed by a discrete period of darkness for 5-8 seconds. The synchronous stopping and starting of the flash sequence displayed by this firefly is unique and has only been observed in the southern Appalachians. The large and spectacular displays of this firefly, which may include thousands of individuals, start at full dark about 9:30 pm and displays continue until about midnight. This firefly is found in every watershed of the Park and usually displays in woods with little understory or at the edge of moist wooded areas.
Flash patterns used by males to court females.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Text and Charts:
Adriean Mayor. 2006. National Park Service. Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Gatlinburg, Tennessee.
