''Photuris hebes'', commonly known as heebie-jeebies or the slow-hitch firefly, is a species of

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 40 ...

in the

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 ...

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 ''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 be ...

'' species, such as ''

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 ...

''. ''P. hebes'' have wing covers, or

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 (sometime ...

, 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 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 e ...

, 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 Photinus (Greek: Φωτεινός; died 376) was a Christian bishop of Sirmium in Pannonia Secunda (today the town Sremska Mitrovica in Serbia), best known for denying the incarnation of Christ, thus being considered a heresiarch by both the Ca ...

''. ''P. hebes'' has a pale chest and pale abdominal segments.

Life Cycle

Beetles such as ''P. hebes'' go through four life stages: egg, larva, pupa, and adult. ''Photuris'' fireflies spend the majority of their lives as larvae, which are

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 inc ...

. Larvae are predaceous, eating snails, worms, and other soft-bodied invertebrates. Adults appear in mid-summer, from June to July.

Behavior

On summer nights starting about 20 minutes after sunset, adult male ''P. hebes'' search for a mate by signaling with quick single flashes repeated about every second, depending on temperature. They flash faster when it is warmer and slower when it is colder. Females respond to the males from the grass and possibly from trees.

Habitat

''P. hebes'' are seen near trees and fencerows that border fields, pastures, streams, and other open areas.

Range

They are found in the eastern United States, as far west as Oklahoma and south to Georgia.

References

{{Taxonbar, from1=Q2164791 hebes Beetles described in 1951