''Photuris lucicrescens'', the long crescendo ''Photuris'',
July comet, big scary,
or big Lucy,
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 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
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 ...
, 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
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 ...
, 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
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 ...
''. The legs are pale close to the body. Lanterns are visible on the abdomen
The abdomen (colloquially called the gut, belly, tummy, midriff, tucky, or stomach) is the front part of the torso between the thorax (chest) and pelvis in humans and in other vertebrates. The area occupied by the abdomen is called the abdominal ...
as pale segments.
Etymology
''Photuris'' has its origins in the Greek words for light, "phot", and tail, or "ouros". The specific epithet combines the prefix luci- from the Latin word for light with the Latin root for crescendo,
Life Cycle
Beetles such as ''P. lucicrescens'' 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 August.
Behavior
Adult male ''P. lucicrescens'' fireflies fly over vegetation about 45 minutes after sunset and later, flashing to attract the attention of females. Their flash pattern is very distinctive, with a long, greenish flash that lasts as long as 2 seconds, increasing in intensity before ending abruptly. The firefly is dark for 3 to 5 seconds before it flashes again. Males also have a flash pattern that consists of a single, shorter flash, which is easily confused with flashes of other ''Photuris'' species. A female responds with an answering flash from low vegetation. Females also use "aggressive mimicry" to lure other species of fireflies in order to eat them. Because of this behavior, ''P. lucicrescens'' are one of the species known as "femme fatales".
Habitat
This firefly can be seen in open fields and forests.
Range
''P. lucicrescens'' is found throughout the eastern United States, as far west as Kansas and Oklahoma.[
]
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2448488
lucicrescens
Beetles described in 1951