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Project Noah Nature School
This is the smallest Firefly or Lightening Bug (beetle) I have ever found. It was only 4 mm long, but magnified, has all the characteristics of the normal sized fireflies including the 2 light producing segments on the underside of the abdomen. The 4th picture shows the actual size in my hand. The light it produces at night is only a fraction of the larger species, but still visible. Pictures 5 and 6 are of an individual, 5 mm long, that came to an ultra violate light in the same place on 27 February 2014. Family Lampyridae, possibly a species of Ellychnia.
Sitting on leaves close to the ground, semi-urban area, San Cristobal de Las Casas, 2,200 meters.
It is unusual to find fireflies in the winter.
Spotted on Feb 4, 2014
Submitted on Feb 9, 2014
4 Comments
Sorry bayucca, I added them again. Hope it works.
http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/304...
http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/275...
http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/228...
Lauren, the links are not working...
Thank you bayucca. We seem to have numerous Lampyrid species here, all overlapping in range.
So far I've found 4 different species all in the same wooded area: this spotting plus these three:
http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/...
http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/...
http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/...
A very small Lampyridae is Pyropyga minuta, but this is a non-lighting day-active firefly, so obviously not yours, which make the choice not easier.
http://www.forestryimages.org/browse/det...