Observation: Photinus consanguineus
Primary Observer:
Jason Poston
Event Date:
2026-05-01
Status:
Verified
Survey
Site Name:
IF
Province/State:
South Carolina
Event Date:
2026-05-01
Time of Day:
Night-Time
Start Time:
20:00
End Time:
21:30
Number of Observers:
1
Primary Observer:
Jason Poston
Additional Observers:
NA
target_species_genus:
unknown
target_species_species:
unknown
Location and Habitat
Location Accuracy (meters):
25-50
Habitat Type:
Grassland/Meadow - Meadow, open, grasses dominant
Habitat Type Notes:
Sandhill heavily planted with loblolly pine. Small pond near by.
Elevation (meters):
12
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:
Observation
Observation Type:
With Flash Data
Number Observed:
11-50
genus:
photinus
Species:
consanguineus
Observation Notes:
Specimen Voucher Number:
Flash Behavior
First Flash Time:
20:30
Last Flash Time:
21:30
First Flash Temp (F):
68
Last Flash Temp (F):
64
Flashes in Pattern:
2
Flash Color:
Yellow
Flash Pattern Period:
1
Flash Duration:
1
Flash Interval:
.5
Male Height Zone:
Moderate (3-8 ft)
Flash Location:
Along the edge of a blackberry patch and border of loblolly pine stand
Male Flash Behavior:
Female Flash Behavior:
1 thought on “Observation: Photinus consanguineus”
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Thank you for submitting this observation and associated survey data! Based on their paired flahses, bar/rectangular shape of the dark marking on the pronotum (head shield), and the dark, blunt pygidium, this firefly is definitely in the Photinus consanguineus group, which includes the Photinus consanguineus, Photinus macdermotti, and Photinus jamesi (formerly greeni) paired-flashing species.
If the within-pair timing of flashes was less than a second, that would point to Photinus consanguineus.
Note that flash duration is the length of an individual pulse of light, and in the Photinus consanguineus group, the expected duration would be less than 0.25 seconds.
Flash pattern period refers to the elapsed time between the start of one pair and the start of the next, and the expected flash pattern period for this group of species is usually around 4-6 seconds.