Observation: Unknown
Primary Observer:
Erika Reily
Event Date:
2025-09-06
Status:
Unverified
Survey
Site Name:
Undisclosed
Province/State:
Texas
Event Date:
2025-09-06
Time of Day:
Night-Time
Start Time:
20:05
End Time:
20:15
Number of Observers:
5
Primary Observer:
Erika Reily
Additional Observers:
Jon Reily
Fiona Reily
Josie Reily
Lauren Evans
target_species_genus:
target_species_species:
Location and Habitat
Location Accuracy (meters):
0-25
Habitat Type:
Developed - Sub/urban areas; parks/gardens
Habitat Type Notes:
We are an older city neighborhood of homes built in the 1950s. The lots are between 1/3 and 3/4 acre for the most part, the homes are mostly between 2500 and 3500 square feet, and nearly all of them have large mature trees, generous landscaping and grass lawns. The trees are mostly live oak, pecan, crape myrtle, mesquite, and ash. There is a nearby park of about 6 acres that is mostly grass and mesquite trees.
Elevation (meters):
8
Area Searched (hectares):
Artificial Light Sources
Vehicles: No
Street Lights: No
Buildings: Yes
Street Lights: No
Buildings: Yes
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:
Our street is pretty dark - we don't have any streetlights and it's a quiet street with few cars and little traffic. Most of the houses, including the one where we saw the fireflies, turn their porch lights on at dusk and keep them on all night.
Observation
Observation Type:
With Flash Data
Number Observed:
2-10
genus:
unknown
Species:
unknown
Observation Notes:
I didn't approach the fireflies as I didn't want to scare them away. I saw about 3 of them flying around above the grass and near the landscaping shrubs and bushes, and I saw two huddled together on a blade of grass that did not fly. The ones in down in the grass were just glowing and not flashing, but the ones that flew around were turning on and off.
Specimen Voucher Number:
Flash Behavior
First Flash Time:
20:05
Last Flash Time:
20:15
First Flash Temp (F):
85
Last Flash Temp (F):
85
Flashes in Pattern:
2
Flash Color:
Green
Flash Pattern Period:
3
Flash Duration:
3
Flash Interval:
3
Male Height Zone:
Moderate (3-8 ft)
Flash Location:
Not sure how to answer this question
Male Flash Behavior:
Female Flash Behavior:
1 thought on “Observation: Unknown”
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Thank you for submitting this firefly observation! Texas Glowing Click Beetles (Deilelater physoderus) occur in this region, so there is a possibility that you saw these firefly-cousins, but the blinking behavior of the beetles you saw on the wing makes me think that what you saw were indeed fireflies.
One likely species is Pyractomena punctiventris, a fairly large species with a long adult activity season. You can see on iNaturalist that many Pyractomena fireflies have been observed in the Corpus Christi area: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?nelat=27.9273154&nelng=-96.96779049999999&swlat=27.4684917&swlng=-97.7534762&taxon_id=47882
A note about flash pattern terminology:
“Flash pattern period” refers to the number of seconds between the start of a flash pattern and the start of the next repetition of that flash pattern. For example, Photinus pyralis typically has a flash pattern period of 5-7 seconds.
“Flash duration” is how long each flash lasts. Usually this is too fast to measure accurately, but you can estimate whether it is more or less than 0.5 seconds, you can enter “not recorded,” or you can do a verbal description (such as “very brief”).
“Flash interval” refers to the time between the end of one flash and the beginning of the next. In species with single flash patterns and short flash durations, this is basically the same as “flash pattern period,” just a little shorter.