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Photuris Hebes
''Photuris hebes'', commonly known as heebie-jeebies or the slow-hitch firefly, is a species of beetle in the Lampyridae family. It is found in the eastern United States. Description ''P. hebes'' is a medium-sized firefly, with adults measuring long. It is smaller and narrower than some other ''Photuris'' species, such as ''Photuris lucicrescens''. ''P. hebes'' have wing covers, or elytra, varying in color from brown to nearly black with light-colored side margins. There is some regional variation in coloring, and depending on the region, they may or may not have shoulder stripes. Coloring on the head shield, or pronotum, also varies. Often the pronotum is yellow, with a dark mark in the center bounded by red or orange. ''Photuris'' fireflies have longer legs than species in the other common firefly genus in the United States, ''Photinus''. ''P. hebes'' has a pale chest and pale abdominal segments. Life Cycle Beetles such as ''P. hebes'' go through four life stages: egg, larva, p ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Beetle
Beetles are insects that form the Taxonomic rank, order Coleoptera (), in the superorder Holometabola. Their front pair of wings are hardened into wing-cases, elytra, distinguishing them from most other insects. The Coleoptera, with about 400,000 described species, is the largest of all orders, constituting almost 40% of described arthropods and 25% of all known animal species; new species are discovered frequently, with estimates suggesting that there are between 0.9 and 2.1 million total species. However, the number of beetle species is challenged by the number of species in Fly, dipterans (flies) and hymenopterans (wasps). Found in almost every habitat except the sea and the polar regions, they interact with their ecosystems in several ways: beetles often feed on plants and fungi, break down animal and plant debris, and eat other invertebrates. Some species are serious agricultural pests, such as the Colorado potato beetle, while others such as Coccinellidae (ladybirds or ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Firefly
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. The type species is '' Lampyris noctiluca'', the common glow-worm of Europe. 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 to trap their males as prey. Fireflies are found in temperate and tropical climates. Many live in marshes or in wet, wooded areas where their larvae have abundant sources of food. Although all known fireflies glow as larvae, only some species produce light in their adult stage, and the location ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Photuris
''Photuris'' is a genus of firefly, fireflies (beetles of the family (biology), family Lampyridae). These are the ''femme fatale'' lightning bugs of North America. This common name refers to a behavior of the adult females of these predatory beetles; they engage in aggressive mimicry, imitating the light signals of other firefly species' females to attract matesbut ''Photuris'' use it to attract, kill and eat the unsuspecting males of those other species. Their flashing bioluminescent signals seem to have evolved independently and eventually adaptation, adapted to those of their prey, mainly unrelated Lampyrinae, such as ''Photinus (beetle), Photinus'' (rover fireflies) or ''Pyractomena''. Species At least 64 species are currently recognized, all restricted to temperate North America. They mainly occur from the East Coast to Texas. Species include: *' – Barber, 1951 *''Photuris bethaniensis''– McDermott, 1953 *' – Barber, 1951 *' – Barber, 1951 *'– ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Photuris Lucicrescens
''Photuris lucicrescens'', the long crescendo ''Photuris'', July comet, big scary, or big Lucy, is a species of beetle in the Lampyridae family. It is found in the eastern United States. Description ''P. lucicrescens'' is a large firefly, with adults measuring long. They appear to be hunchbacked when viewed from the side. They have brown wing covers, or elytra, with wide light-colored side margins and stripes in the center of each side, starting from the shoulder and extending almost the entire length of the body. The head shield, or pronotum, is yellow, with a dark arrow in the center, which is often interrupted, appearing as two separate marks. The dark central mark is bounded by red or orange. ''Photuris'' fireflies have longer legs than species in the other common firefly genus in the United States, ''Photinus''. The legs are pale close to the body. Lanterns are visible on the abdomen as pale segments. Etymology ''Photuris'' has its origins in the Greek words for light, "ph ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Elytra
An elytron (; ; : elytra, ) is a modified, hardened forewing of beetles (Coleoptera), though a few of the true bugs (Hemiptera) such as the family Schizopteridae are extremely similar; in true bugs, the forewings are called hemelytra (sometimes alternatively spelled as "hemielytra"), and in most species only the basal half is thickened while the apex is membranous, but when they are entirely thickened the condition is referred to as "coleopteroid". An elytron is sometimes also referred to as a shard. Description The elytra primarily serve as protective wing-cases for the hindwings underneath, which are used for flying. To fly, a beetle typically opens the elytra and then extends the hindwings, flying while still holding the elytra open, though many beetles in the families Scarabaeidae and Buprestidae can fly with the elytra closed (e.g., most Cetoniinae; ). In a number of groups, the elytra are reduced to various degrees, (e.g., the beetle families Staphylinidae and Ripipho ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pronotum
The prothorax is the foremost of the three segments in the thorax of an insect, and bears the first pair of legs. Its principal sclerites (exoskeletal plates) are the pronotum (dorsal), the prosternum (ventral), and the propleuron (lateral) on each side. The prothorax never bears wings in extant insects (except in some cases of atavism), though some fossil groups possessed wing-like projections. All adult insects possess legs on the prothorax, though in a few groups (e.g., the butterfly family Nymphalidae) the forelegs are greatly reduced. In many groups of insects, the pronotum is reduced in size, but in a few it is hypertrophied, such as in all beetles (Coleoptera). In most treehoppers (family Membracidae, order Hemiptera), the pronotum is expanded into often fantastic shapes that enhance their camouflage or mimicry. Similarly, in the Tetrigidae, the pronotum is extended backward to cover the flight wings, supplanting the function of the tegmina. See also * Glossary of entom ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Photinus (beetle)
The rover fireflies (''Photinus'') are a genus of firefly, fireflies (family (biology), family Lampyridae). They are the type genus of tribe (biology), tribe Photinini in subfamily Lampyrinae. This genus contains, for example, the common Eastern Firefly, common eastern firefly (''P. pyralis''), the most common species of firefly in North America. Male ''Photinus'' beetles emit a flashing bioluminescence, light pattern to signal for females. Illegitimate receivers, such as female ''Photuris (genus), Photuris'' beetles, identify these signals and use them to locate the male ''Photinus'', attract them Aggressive mimicry, with deceptive signals, and eat them. An important study on the diversity of species in the United States, USA and their visual communication was by Lloyd (1966) Etymology ''Photinus'' is from the Greek word for shining or bright. Systematics The closest living relative of the rover fireflies is not yet determined with certainty. In morphology (biology), morphol ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bioluminescent
Bioluminescence is the emission of light during a chemiluminescence reaction by living organisms. Bioluminescence occurs in multifarious organisms ranging from marine vertebrates and invertebrates, as well as in some fungi, microorganisms including some bioluminescent bacteria, dinoflagellates and terrestrial arthropods such as fireflies. In some animals, the light is bacteriogenic, produced by symbiotic bacteria such as those from the genus '' Vibrio''; in others, it is autogenic, produced by the animals themselves. In most cases, the principal chemical reaction in bioluminescence involves the reaction of a substrate called luciferin and an enzyme, called luciferase. Because these are generic names, luciferins and luciferases are often distinguished by the species or group, e.g. firefly luciferin or cypridina luciferin. In all characterized cases, the enzyme catalyzes the oxidation of the luciferin resulting in excited state oxyluciferin, which is the light emitter of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
