Photuris walldoxeyi
Pinned adult specimen. (Photo: Luiz Silveira.)
U.S. State
Illinois
Indiana
Mississippi
Tennessee
Life History
Activity Period and Flash Signal
Adults are active mid-May to mid-June. This species has a unique courtship flash pattern consisting of four to nine bright pulsing flashes, followed by a prolonged one second glow.
Distribution
The newly described cypress firefly has thus far been found in Mississippi, Tennessee, Illinois, and Indiana.
Habitat Associations
As its name suggests, the cypress firefly is a habitat specialist associated with cypress swamps.
Conservation Status
- IUCN Red List status: Vulnerable
- NatureServe status: G2G3—Imperiled, SNR—State Not Ranked (Illinois, Mississippi, Tennessee), SU—State Unrankable (Indiana)
- U.S. Endangered Species Act status: Not listed
Threats
The main threats to this species are habitat loss and degradation and light pollution.
Conservation Needs
- We need to know more about the distribution of this species. Please check out the Firefly Atlas to help us track and conserve this threatened firefly.
- Turn off your outdoor lights at night so the lights of this firefly aren’t diminished by light pollution. You can read more about firefly-friendly lighting in our fact sheet.
- Avoid pesticide use, which could harm this firefly, its habitat, or its prey.
- More research on population size and trend, habitats and ecology, and threats is needed for this species.
Prepared By
Candace Fallon, The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, based on the IUCN Red List assessment
USA
