A Species Thought to Be Lost for 40 Years Has Been Rediscovered in a Delaware Meadow

An entomologist made one of the finds of the year when he discovered a swarm of fireflies thought to no longer exist. Christopher Hecksher, an ecologist and entomologist at Delaware State University, came across what he thought was a member of Pyractomena similis, a species of firefly last documented in 1983. Further tests and analysis proved that the “lost” species was alive and well in a Delaware meadow.

Via a report in the Journal of Lost Species, Hecksher was able to identify Pyractomena similis by a distinct flash pattern, with an amber color and “long rhythmic flash”, which didn’t match other fireflies in the region. Hecksher searched meadows around Maryland and Delaware, finally finding success in the latter’s Brandywine Creek State Park. Examining the fireflies under a microscope confirmed it was the species thought lost 40 years ago.

Many Species of Fireflies Are Widely Unknown

It’s not surprising that an entire species could go “missing” so long, as both information on fireflies and the exact habitats they require are rare. Very little is known about the lost fireflies, but it’s documented that they prefer meadows near water. Hecksher said those conditions are more uncommon than you might think, as “most times we’re managing them for other things, maybe livestock, or we’re mowing them once in a while”. This could explain why they went unsighted for so long.

This is not the only species with little information. In fact, 48 species across the US and Canada have no data at all. On top of that, there were 28 species of fireflies considered lost; Hecksher’s discovery has dropped that down to 27. Several species of fireflies are threatened, so the re-emergence of one certain firefly is not only good news for the species, but for the ecosystem as a whole.

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source https://www.mensjournal.com/news/a-species-thought-to-be-lost-for-40-years-has-been-rediscovered-in-a-delaware-meadow