Fireflies
Fireflies are one of the joys of a summer night. The most common of our American fireflies, the common eastern firefly (Photinus pyralis), is a beetle whose mating ritual creates dramatic displays just after sundown, when the males flash light from their abdomens while in flight as they try to attract a mate. Female fireflies hang out on a leaf or other perch, and when attracted by the flashes of a male, they will turn their abdomens toward him and flash back.
There are about 120 species of firefly in North America. Around the world, occurring on every continent except Antarctica, there are some 2,400 species of firefly. They are especially widespread in the tropics, where scientists are still discovering new species. The Singapore firefly (Luciola singapura) was discovered in the the last freshwater swamp in Singapore in 2009 and identified as a distinct species in 2019.
A distinctive firefly is native to a few special areas in the US. In the mountains of Appalachia, Photinus carolinus fireflies flash in unison. Scientists think the males use their synchronous flash pattern to assure females they are eligible males of the same species. Some other firefly species in the same areas are predatory, and male fireflies in particular can run alarming risks from fireflies in the Photuris genus. Photuris fireflies will copy the mating flashes of female Photinus fireflies and, when a male approaches to mate, she will eat him instead. Photuris and Photinus fireflies can be hard to tell apart, even to other fireflies, but mistaking one for the other can be deadly for a male Photinus.