Firefly

 

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Fireflies
SEM image
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Arthropoda Class: Insecta Order: Coleoptera Family: Lampyridae
Genera
Curtos Cyphonocerus Drilaster Ellychnia Hotaria Lampyris Lucidina Luciola - (Japanese fireflies) Photinus - (common eastern firefly) Photuris Pristolycus Pyractomena Pyrocoelia Stenocladius

Fireflies (family Lampyridae) are nocturnal, luminous insects. They use special light-emitting organs to communicate, primarily as part of mating. The light-emitting chemical, luciferase, is of scientific interest, and genes for producing it have been spliced into bacteria.

There are more than 2000 species of firefly, found in temperate and tropical environments around the world.

External LInk

• Facts about Lampyridae

References

TSN: 113836
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/Taxonomy/Browser/wwwtax.cgi