Photinus (beetle)
Encyclopedia
The rover fireflies are a genus
of fireflies
(family
Lampyridae). They are the type genus
of tribe
Photinini
in subfamily Lampyrinae
. This genus contains, for example, the common eastern firefly (P. pyralis), the state insect of Tennessee
.
Male Photinus beetles emit a flashing light
pattern to signal for females. Illegitimate receivers, such as female Photuris
beetles, identify these signals and use them to locate the male Photinus, attract them with fake signals
, and eat them.
, they resemble their predators, the Photurinae
, but they are quite certainly not at all closely related as fireflies go. Rather, the genus Ellychnia is either the closest relative of Photinus, or might even be included in it. Ellychnia are notable for having lost the ability to produce light again, and like the ancestors of all fireflies, communicate with pheromone
s only. It might thus be warranted to remove some species from Photinus and assign them different genera.
The genus Pyropyga is also a close relative, though it is certainly not as close as Ellychnia. This group makes up the core of the tribe
Photinini
, and in fact it seems warranted to restrict the tribe to these genera, but more research is still needed, in particular with regard to Photinus and Ellychnia, as the relationship of their type species
("Photinus pallens" and Ellychnia corrusca) remains completely unknown, with the latter also suspected to be a cryptic species complex
. Tropical species of Photinus are also not well studied.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of fireflies
Fireflies
Fireflies is a novel by Shiva Naipaul originally published in 1970. It was his first book, a comic novel set in Trinidad. In an essay in An Unfinished Journey, Naipaul described how in 1968 as a final year student at Oxford University studying Chinese, he had been moved to write down a sentence,...
(family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Lampyridae). They are the type genus
Type genus
In biological classification, a type genus is a representative genus, as with regard to a biological family. The term and concept is used much more often and much more formally in zoology than it is in botany, and the definition is dependent on the nomenclatural Code that applies:* In zoological...
of tribe
Tribe (biology)
In biology, a tribe is a taxonomic rank between family and genus. It is sometimes subdivided into subtribes.Some examples include the tribes: Canini, Acalypheae, Hominini, Bombini, and Antidesmeae.-See also:* Biological classification* Rank...
Photinini
Photinini
The Photinini are a large tribe of fireflies in the subfamily Lampyrinae. Photinus pyralis is famous in biotechnology for its luciferase gene. This is sometimes employed as a marker gene; genetically modified organisms which contain it start to glow like the firefly when brought in contact with...
in subfamily Lampyrinae
Lampyrinae
The Lampyrinae are a large subfamily of fireflies . The exact delimitation, and the internal systematics, are a matter of debate; for long this group was used as a "wastebin taxon" to hold any fireflies with insufficiently resolved relationships...
. This genus contains, for example, the common eastern firefly (P. pyralis), the state insect of Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
.
Male Photinus beetles emit a flashing light
Bioluminescence
Bioluminescence is the production and emission of light by a living organism. Its name is a hybrid word, originating from the Greek bios for "living" and the Latin lumen "light". Bioluminescence is a naturally occurring form of chemiluminescence where energy is released by a chemical reaction in...
pattern to signal for females. Illegitimate receivers, such as female Photuris
Photuris (genus)
Photuris is a genus of fireflies wherein are the femme fatale fireflies of North America. This common name refers to the fact that the females of these predatory beetles mimic the light signals of other firefly species' males, to attract, kill, and eat them...
beetles, identify these signals and use them to locate the male Photinus, attract them with fake signals
Aggressive mimicry
Aggressive mimicry is a form of mimicry where predators, parasites or parasitoids share similar signals with a harmless model, allowing them to avoid being correctly identified by their prey or host...
, and eat them.
Systematics
The closest living relative of the rover fireflies is not yet determined with certainty. In morphologyMorphology (biology)
In biology, morphology is a branch of bioscience dealing with the study of the form and structure of organisms and their specific structural features....
, they resemble their predators, the Photurinae
Photurinae
Photurinae is a subfamily of fireflies . They contain many of the well-known North American species, such as the Pennsylvania Firefly , state insect of Pennsylvania...
, but they are quite certainly not at all closely related as fireflies go. Rather, the genus Ellychnia is either the closest relative of Photinus, or might even be included in it. Ellychnia are notable for having lost the ability to produce light again, and like the ancestors of all fireflies, communicate with pheromone
Pheromone
A pheromone is a secreted or excreted chemical factor that triggers a social response in members of the same species. Pheromones are chemicals capable of acting outside the body of the secreting individual to impact the behavior of the receiving individual...
s only. It might thus be warranted to remove some species from Photinus and assign them different genera.
The genus Pyropyga is also a close relative, though it is certainly not as close as Ellychnia. This group makes up the core of the tribe
Tribe (biology)
In biology, a tribe is a taxonomic rank between family and genus. It is sometimes subdivided into subtribes.Some examples include the tribes: Canini, Acalypheae, Hominini, Bombini, and Antidesmeae.-See also:* Biological classification* Rank...
Photinini
Photinini
The Photinini are a large tribe of fireflies in the subfamily Lampyrinae. Photinus pyralis is famous in biotechnology for its luciferase gene. This is sometimes employed as a marker gene; genetically modified organisms which contain it start to glow like the firefly when brought in contact with...
, and in fact it seems warranted to restrict the tribe to these genera, but more research is still needed, in particular with regard to Photinus and Ellychnia, as the relationship of their type species
Type species
In biological nomenclature, a type species is both a concept and a practical system which is used in the classification and nomenclature of animals and plants. The value of a "type species" lies in the fact that it makes clear what is meant by a particular genus name. A type species is the species...
("Photinus pallens" and Ellychnia corrusca) remains completely unknown, with the latter also suspected to be a cryptic species complex
Cryptic species complex
In biology, a cryptic species complex is a group of species which satisfy the biological definition of species—that is, they are reproductively isolated from each other—but whose morphology is very similar ....
. Tropical species of Photinus are also not well studied.
Selected species
- Photinus australis (Green, 1956)
- Photinus carolinusPhotinus carolinusPhotinus carolinus is a species of rover firefly whose mating displays of synchronous flashing have fascinated both scientists and tourists. As individual males synchronize with males nearby, waves of alternating bright light and darkness seem to travel across the landscape...
(Green, 1956) noted for synchronous flashing - Photinus floridanus (Fall, 1927)
- Photinus fuscus
- "Photinus pallens (Fabricius, 1798)" – Jamaican Firefly
- Photinus punctulatus (LeConte, 1851)
- Photinus pyralisPhotinus pyralisPhotinus pyralis, known by the common names common eastern firefly and big dipper firefly, is the most common species of firefly in North America...
– common eastern firefly, big dipper firefly - Photinus tanytoxis (Lloyd, 1966)