Phausis reticulata

Blue ghost firefly
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Coleoptera
Family: Lampyridae
Genus: Phausis
Species: P. reticulata
Binomial name
Phausis reticulata
Say, 1825

Phausis reticulata, commonly referred to as the "blue ghost" is a species of firefly found in the eastern and central United States. The species is common in the southern Appalachians, and can be seen in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the Chattahoochee National Forest, as well as North Carolina's DuPont State Forest and Pisgah National Forest.[1]

Description

The males of this all-brown species have a short second antennomere (compared to the third) as well as large eyes.[2] It is an unusual firefly species in that the searching males emit a steady blue light.[3]

Unlike many fireflies found in the eastern and central United States, the luminescence of P. reticulata adults is characterized by a steady glow, instead of a species-specific pattern of flashes.

References

  1. Bugguide.net
  2. Fender, K.M. 1966. The genus Phausis in America north of Mexico (Coleoptera-Lampyridae). Northwest Science 40:83-95.
  3. Capinera, John L. (2008). Encyclopedia of entomology. vol 3. University of Florida. ISBN 1-4020-6360-1, ISBN 978-1-4020-6360-2.
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