The Luciolinae are among the largest

subfamilies In biological classification, a subfamily (Latin: ', plural ') is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus. Standard nomenclature rules end botanical subfamily names with "-oideae", and zool ...

of fireflies (

Lampyridae 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 ...

). They seem to be all "flashing" (as opposed to "continuous-glow") fireflies. They are a diverse lineage, spreading throughout the warm parts of

Eurasia Eurasia ( , ) is a continental area on Earth, comprising all of Europe and Asia. According to some geographers, Physical geography, physiographically, Eurasia is a single supercontinent. The concept of Europe and Asia as distinct continents d ...

into

temperate In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (approximately 23.5° to 66.5° N/S of the Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ran ...

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

and

East Asia East Asia is a geocultural region of Asia. It includes China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan, plus two special administrative regions of China, Hong Kong and Macau. The economies of Economy of China, China, Economy of Ja ...

and south to the

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

n region.Stanger-Hall, Kathrin F.; Lloyd, James E. & Hillis, David M. (2007): Phylogeny of North American fireflies (Coleoptera: Lampyridae): Implications for the evolution of light signals. ''

Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution ''Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution'' is a peer-reviewed scientific journal of evolutionary biology and phylogenetics. The journal is edited by E.A. Zimmer. Indexing The journal is indexed in: * EMBiology *Journal Citation Reports *Scopus ...

'' 45(1): 33-49. (HTML abstract) Several tropical species, notably of the genus '' Pteroptyx'', are of local economic importance. Their displays will self-synchronize until the entire local firefly population flashes in the same rhythm, creating a stunning spectacle that is popular with

tourist Tourism is travel for pleasure, and the commercial activity of providing and supporting such travel. UN Tourism defines tourism more generally, in terms which go "beyond the common perception of tourism as being limited to holiday activity on ...

s. The most well-known location to witness these displays is on the Selangor River at Kampong Kuantan,

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

. Two Japanese species of '' Luciola'', collectively known as ''hotaru'' (蛍), are highly significant in

Japanese culture Japanese culture has changed greatly over the millennia, from the country's prehistoric Jōmon period, to its contemporary modern culture, which absorbs influences from Asia and other regions of the world. Since the Jomon period, ancestral ...

and

folklore Folklore is the body of expressive culture shared by a particular group of people, culture or subculture. This includes oral traditions such as Narrative, tales, myths, legends, proverbs, Poetry, poems, jokes, and other oral traditions. This also ...

. They are symbols of the ''

hitodama In Japanese folklore, hitodama ( Japanese ; meaning "human soul") are balls of fire that mainly float in the middle of the night.広辞苑第五版 p.2255 「人魂」 They are said to be "souls of the dead that have separated from their bodies", ...

'' (人魂 or 人玉), the

soul The soul is the purported Mind–body dualism, immaterial aspect or essence of a Outline of life forms, living being. It is typically believed to be Immortality, immortal and to exist apart from the material world. The three main theories that ...

s of the newly dead. See also the explanations at the article on the movie '' Hotaru no Haka'' ("Grave of the Fireflies") for a discussion of the cultural significance of the ''hotaru''.

Systematics

The group has recently been examined using molecular phylogenetics, using fairly comprehensive sampling.

Genera

*'' Abscondita'' Ballantyne, Lambkin & Fu, 2013 *'' Aquatica'' Fu, Ballantyne & Lambkin, 2010 *'' Aquilonia'' Ballantyne, 2009 *'' Asymmetricata'' Ballantyne, 2009 *'' Atyphella'' Olliff, 1890 *'' Australoluciola'' Ballantyne, 2013 *'' Colophotia'' Motschulsky, 1853 *'' Convexa'' Ballantyne, 2009 *'' Curtos'' Motschulsky, 1845 *'' Emarginata'' Ballantyne, 2019 *'' Emeia'' Fu, Ballantyne & Lambkin, 2012 *'' Gilvainsula'' Ballantyne, 2009 *'' Inflata'' Boontop, 2015 *'' Kuantana'' Ballantyne, 2019 *'' Lampyroidea'' Costa, 1875 *'' Lloydiella'' Ballantyne, 2009 *'' Luciola'' Laporte, 1833 *'' Magnalata'' Ballantyne, 2009 *'' Medeopteryx'' Ballantyne, 2013 *'' Missimia'' Ballantyne, 2009 * '' Nipponoluciola'' Ballantyne, 2022 *'' Pacifica'' Ballantyne, 2013 *'' Photuroluciola'' Pic, 1931 *'' Pteroptyx'' Olivier, 1902 *'' Pygatyphella'' Ballantyne, 1968 *'' Pygoluciola'' Wittmer, 1939 *'' Pyrophanes'' Olivier, 1885 *''

Sclerotia A sclerotium (; : sclerotia () is a compact mass of hardened fungal mycelium containing food reserves. One role of sclerotia is to survive environmental extremes. In some higher fungi such as ergot, sclerotia become detached and remain dormant u ...

'' Ballantyne, 2016 *''

Serratia ''Serratia'' is a genus of Gram-negative, facultatively anaerobic, rod-shaped bacteria of the family Enterobacteriaceae. They are typically 1–5 μm in length, do not produce spores, and can be found in water, soil, plants, and animals. Some mem ...

'' Ballantyne, 2019 *'' Triangulara'' Pimpasalee, 2016 *'' Trisinuata'' Ballantyne, 2013

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q3265858 Lampyridae