Observation: Photinus brimleyi
Primary Observer:
Pam Morgan
Event Date:
2024-07-02
Status:
Verified
Survey
Site Name:
Coler Firefly Sanctuary - Plaza
Province/State:
Arkansas
Event Date:
2024-07-02
Time of Day:
Night-Time
Start Time:
21:10
End Time:
22:25
Number of Observers:
2
Primary Observer:
Pam Morgan
Additional Observers:
Clint Morgan
Target Species Genus:
Photinus
Target Species Species:
tenuicinctus
Location and Habitat
Location Accuracy (meters):
0-25
Habitat Type:
Woodland/Forest - Trees dominant, and in the over-story
Habitat Type Notes:
A paved path through the woods. There was a stream fairly close, but not visible from the path. Tall trees were abundant, including oak, American sycamore, box elder, maple, elm, black walnut, and hickory. The understory was dominated by spicebush, with an occasional dogwood, sassafras, and hackberry. There were quite a few invasive species, especially near the beginning of the trail, including mimosa trees, bush honeysuckle, Japanese stiltgrass, parilla mint, and multiflora rose. There were some vines, including Virginia creeper, grapevines, and Japanese honeysuckle. There was very heavy leaf litter and many fallen logs off the path.
Elevation (meters):
351
Area Searched (hectares):
.2
Artificial Light Sources
Vehicles: No
Street Lights: No
Buildings: No
Street Lights: No
Buildings: No
Artificial Light Types
Sky Glow (diffuse illumination in the sky): No
Light Trespass (light cast on surfaces beyond its intended target): No
Glare (bright light causing visual discomfort): No
Light Trespass (light cast on surfaces beyond its intended target): No
Glare (bright light causing visual discomfort): No
Artificial Light Notes:
The path went through woods with a tall tree canopy that blocked any sky glow. There are no lights at this park, and we were far enough away from any streets or the parking lot so that there were no lights from there. Earlier there had been some pedestrians and bikers with lights, but none after we started the survey.
Observation
Observation Type:
Flashing
Number Observed:
11-50
Genus:
Photinus
Species:
brimleyi
Observation Notes:
This is the second firefly that we caught that we think is P. tenuicinctus. There is some variation between the two. This one seems to have a little bit of pink color on the pronotum, although not much, and the elytral margins are a little thicker.
10 mm.
This firefly behaved differently than Photinus pyralis when it was captured. Usually when I catch a P. pyralis and put it in my container (a plastic square jar about 6 in high), it crawls around on the sides of the container. This firefly was constantly flying in the container instead of crawling.
Specimen Voucher Number:
Flash Behavior
First Flash Time:
21:30
Last Flash Time:
22:25
First Flash Temp (F):
86
Last Flash Temp (F):
86
Flashes in Pattern:
1
Flash Color:
Yellow
Flash Pattern Period:
1.5 to 2
Flash Duration:
.5
Flash Interval:
1 to 2
Male Height Zone:
Moderate (3-8 ft)
Flash Location:
Flashes were at chest level to slightly above head height over the low vegetation and along the trail.
Male Flash Behavior:
Males traveled in a fairly straight line with a medium-length flash every 1 to 2 seconds. The flash wasn't as bright as the flashes that we thought were P. pyralis.
Female Flash Behavior:
We're not sure we observed any female flash behavior. There were quite a few flashes off the trail in the vegetation, but because the vegetation was so thick we did not go off trail to investigate if they were females or males. The flashes did appear to be stationary.
1 thought on “Observation: Photinus brimleyi”
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This is an interesting find, Pam! I would lean toward Photinus brimleyi over Photinus tenuicinctus, because P. tenuicinctus is described as having, “lateral pale border of elytra very narrow, limited to outer edge of explanate margin” in Green’s 1956 key, while your firefly seems to have fairly wide pale outer borders on the elytra. Here are photos of a Photinus tenuicinctus specimen: https://bugguide.net/node/view/1278381. Your description of of the flash behavior also seems consistent with P. brimleyi.
I am going to change the species ID to Photius brimleyi but will leave the status as unverified until Lynn weighs in.
I will share this observation with Lynn Faust to see what she thinks. There are old records of Photinus brimleyi Arkansas, but no recent ones to my knowledge.