More than 2,400 species of soft-bodied beetles, many of which glow, mostly at twilight, to attract mates. All glow as larvae, a warning that they taste bad. They live in temperate and tropical regions, often in marshes and damp woods where their larvae find food.
Quick answers
What is it?Insect
Carnivore?Yes
Dangerous?No
Domesticated?No
Awake when?Night
The familiar glowing fireflies are nocturnal; many day-active species do not glow.
Hibernates?No
Kept as a pet?No
Do people eat it?No
At a glance
Found inWorldwide
ColoursBlack, Yellow
SizeTiny
Legs6
Covered inExoskeleton
Lives ingroups
Lives for2 months
Can fly
Lays eggs
In the wild
- Where it lives
- Temperate and tropical regions worldwide.
- What it eats
- Larvae hunt other larvae, snails and slugs; adults vary: some hunt, some eat pollen or nectar, and some never eat.
Did you know
Its glow is a cold light with no infrared, and it began as a warning that fireflies taste bad.
Female Photuris fireflies copy another species’ flash code to lure its males, then eat them.
In parts of Southeast Asia and the Great Smoky Mountains, whole groups flash in sync.
Often confused with
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