Observation: Photuris hebes
Primary Observer:
Jon Storm
Event Date:
2026-07-01
Status:
Verified
Survey
Site Name:
Undisclosed
Province/State:
South Carolina
Event Date:
2026-07-01
Time of Day:
Night-Time
Start Time:
20:15
End Time:
22:45
Number of Observers:
3
Primary Observer:
Jon Storm
Additional Observers:
Christian Boschult
Daniel Ross
target_species_genus:
photuris
target_species_species:
forresti
Location and Habitat
Location Accuracy (meters):
100-250
Habitat Type:
Forested Wetland - Swamp, cedar bog, mangrove
Habitat Type Notes:
Wetland along an unnamed creek. Wetland has cattails, buttonbush, and what is likely duck potato. Woodland of oak, hickory, tulip poplar, and sweetgum trees.
Elevation (meters):
257
Area Searched (hectares):
0.5 ha
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): Yes
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:
2-10
genus:
photuris
Species:
hebes
Observation Notes:
12 mm
Flying around tree boughs along woodland edge of the freshwater wetland.
Specimen Voucher Number:
Flash Behavior
First Flash Time:
22:21
Last Flash Time:
22:41
First Flash Temp (F):
81
Last Flash Temp (F):
78
Flashes in Pattern:
>4
Flash Color:
Orange
Flash Pattern Period:
1
Flash Duration:
0.2
Flash Interval:
0.8
Male Height Zone:
High (over 8 ft)
Flash Location:
High around tree boughs, 15-30 feet off the ground. Flash looks orangish to me, but others said it did not look as orangish to them. We were primarily looking over the wetland for Loopy-five fireflies, so the Photuris hebes likely were already flashing before the time we first noticed them. They were still flashing when we left the site too.
Male Flash Behavior:
Giving 3-7 flashes in a row with roughly 1 second between flashes.
Female Flash Behavior:
1 thought on “Observation: Photuris hebes”
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The 12 mm length, pale hind coxae, and flash pattern consisting of single flashes repeated at 1 second intervals at around 80 deg F is consistent with Photuris hebes.
One note about flash patterns– if I understand this firefly’s flash behavior correctly, I would say that it has 1 flash in its pattern, not “>4,” because the single flash is the unit that repeats consistently and predictably, not the set of 3-7 flashes. (In contrast, species like Photinus consimilis, Photuris forresti, and Photinus carolinus have true multi-pulse flash patterns, with more consistent numbers of pulses in their sets and more regular spacing between the sets.)