Photuris

Life-forms

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Cladus: Protostomia
Cladus: Ecdysozoa
Cladus: Panarthropoda
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Hexapoda
Classis: Insecta
Cladus: Dicondylia
Subclassis: Pterygota
Cladus: Metapterygota
Infraclassis: Neoptera
Cladus: Eumetabola
Cladus: Endopterygota
Superordo: Coleopterida
Ordo: Coleoptera
Subordo: Polyphaga
Infraordo: Elateriformia
Superfamilia: Elateroidea

Familia: Lampyridae
Subfamilia: Photurinae Genus: Photuris
Species: P. lucicrescens

Photuris is a genus of fireflies (beetles of the family Lampyridae). These are the femme fatale lightning bugs of North America. This common name refers to a behavior of the adult females of these predatory beetles; they engage in aggressive mimicry, imitating the light signals of other firefly species' females to attract, kill, and eat the males. Their flashing bioluminescent signals seem to have evolved independently and eventually adapted to those of their prey, mainly unrelated Lampyrinae, such as Photinus (rover fireflies) or Pyractomena.[1]
Species

At least 64 species are currently recognized,[2] all restricted to temperate North America.[3] They mainly occur from the East Coast to Texas.[4] Species include:

Photuris aureolucens [nl] – Barber, 1951
Photuris bethaniensis– McDermott, 1953
Photuris caerulescens [nl] – Barber, 1951
Photuris cinctipennis [sv] – Barber, 1951
Photuris congener [sv]– LeConte, 1852
Photuris divisa [nl]– LeConte, 1852
Photuris fairchildi– Barber, 1951
Photuris flavicollis [nl]– Fall, 1927
Photuris floridana – Fall, 1927
Photuris frontalis – LeConte, 1852
Photuris hebes [nl] – Barber, 1951
Photuris lineaticollis – Motschulsky, 1854
Photuris llyodi – McDermott, 1966
Photuris lucicrescens – Barber, 1951
Photuris missouriensis – McDermott, 1962
Photuris mysticalampas – Heckscher, 2013
Photuris pensylvanica – De Geer, 1774
Photuris potomaca – Barber, 1951
Photuris pyralomina – Barber, 1951
Photuris quadrifulgens– Barber, 1951
Photuris salina– Barber, 1951
Photuris hebes [ceb] – Barber, 1951
Photuris versicolor – Fabricius, 1798
Photuris walldoxeyi– Faust and Davis, 2019

References

Kathrin F. Stanger-Hall; James E. Lloyd & David M. Hillis (2007). "Phylogeny of North American lightning bugs(Coleoptera: Lampyridae): Implications for the evolution of light signals". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 45 (1): 33–49. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2007.05.013. PMID 17644427.
Lloyd, J.E. (2003). "On research and entomological education VI: Firefly species and lists, old and now". 86 (2): 99–113.
Arnett, R.H. Jr.; M. C. Thomas; P. E. Skelley; J. H. Frank, eds. (2002). American Beetles, Volume II: Polyphaga: Scarabaeoidea through Curculionoidea. Boca Raton, Florida: CRC Press. ISBN 0849309549.
Sharp, Kelly. "Photuris versicolor". Animal Diversity Web. Retrieved 4 December 2014.