A number of firefly ID guides and other resources have become available in the last decade. We’ve shared a few of our favorites here, as well as some more in-depth taxonomic keys for folks who want more technical resources. Note that firefly taxonomy and knowledge is ever-evolving, so you may find some inconsistencies between sources.
Books
- Fireflies, Glow-worms, and Lightning Bugs: Identification and Natural History of the Fireflies of the Eastern and Central United States and Canada (Faust, 2017)
- Silent Sparks: The Wondrous World of Fireflies (Lewis, 2016)
General Resources
- The Lampyridae of the World (Keller, 2024) A comprehensive database for the world fauna of fireflies.
- World Lampyridae, Lycidae, Phengodidae, Drilidae, and miscellany (Cicero, 2013) Users can search this online database for literature related to specific genera and/or species.
- Fireflyers International Network maintains an extensive list of keys and field guides for North America and beyond
Regional firefly identification guides (online)
- Field Guide to Western North American Fireflies (Buschman, 2016)
- Guide to Fireflies of the Southwest (Walker, 2024)
- The Fireflies of Ontario (Coleoptera: Lampyridae) (Luk, Marshall & Branham, 2011) Be aware that this source states that Photuris pensylvanica is the only species of Photuris in Ontario. Since this publication, Photuris pensylvanica has come to be used more narrowly and is not thought to occur in Ontario.
- Fireflies of Texas (firefly.org, Pfeiffer) This webpage includes profiles of six fireflies that are among the approximately 39 firefly species found in Texas.
- Fireflies of West Virginia This website includes both animations of flash patterns of different species and a printable guide of flash patterns.
Taxonomic revisions, monographs, and keys
Genera of the World
- Lampyrid-ID: Key to the world genera of fireflies (Coleoptera, Lampyridae) (Martin, Branham, Da Silveira, Bybee, 2020)
Photuris
- North American Fireflies of the Genus Photuris (Barber, 1951)
- A naturalist’s long walk among shadows: of North American Photuris — patterns, outlines, silhouettes… echoes. (Lloyd, 2018)
Photinus
- Studies on the Flash Communication System in Photinus Fireflies (Lloyd, 1966)
- Revision of the Nearctic Species of Photinus (Coleoptera: Lampyridae) (Green, 1956)
Pyractomena
Filterable table ID tools
The Excel files below can be downloaded and used to filter species by various characteristics, including taxonomic groupings, geographic distribution, morphology, and flash pattern. They can be used similarly to a multi-access key, allowing the user to compare species and narrow down a list of possible options. If you have questions about how to use these tools or notice errors or omissions, please reach out to [email protected].
