Observation: Photuris frontalis
Primary Observer:
Rosalind Reilly
Event Date:
2024-06-18
Status:
Verified
Survey
Site Name:
Reilly home
Province/State:
Virginia
Event Date:
2024-06-18
Time of Day:
Night-Time
Start Time:
20:50
End Time:
21:40
Number of Observers:
1
Primary Observer:
Rosalind Reilly
Additional Observers:
NA
Target Species Genus:
Photuris
Target Species Species:
frontalis
Location and Habitat
Location Accuracy (meters):
25-50
Habitat Type:
Woodland/Forest - Trees dominant, and in the over-story
Habitat Type Notes:
Oak, hickory, poplar, holly
Elevation (meters):
69.5
Area Searched (hectares):
.01
Artificial Light Sources
Vehicles: No
Street Lights: No
Buildings: Yes
Street Lights: No
Buildings: Yes
Artificial Light Types
Sky Glow (diffuse illumination in the sky): No
Light Trespass (light cast on surfaces beyond its intended target): Yes
Glare (bright light causing visual discomfort): No
Light Trespass (light cast on surfaces beyond its intended target): Yes
Glare (bright light causing visual discomfort): No
Artificial Light Notes:
Observation
Observation Type:
Flashing
Number Observed:
2-10
Genus:
Photuris
Species:
frontalis
Observation Notes:
13mm
Specimen Voucher Number:
Flash Behavior
First Flash Time:
21:05
Last Flash Time:
21:40
First Flash Temp (F):
78.4
Last Flash Temp (F):
76.5
Flashes in Pattern:
>4
Flash Color:
Yellow
Flash Pattern Period:
.6
Flash Duration:
.2
Flash Interval:
10?
Male Height Zone:
Moderate (3-8 ft)
Flash Location:
In woods. Traveling pretty fast. 2-5 feet
Male Flash Behavior:
Traveling fast and flashing rapidly over 20-30 times. I was unable to count the interval because I lost sight of the particular firefly each time, so I put 10 seconds, but it's unknown. Also since the period was less than 1 second, I had to guess about the duration of those quick flashes. I am a beginner on fireflies so frontalis is, again, my best guess.
Female Flash Behavior:
Did not observe
1 thought on “Observation: Photuris frontalis”
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Awesome observation, Rosalind! Nicely documented.
One thing to note about terminology– even though Photuris frontalis does do long flash trains, we usually describe them as having a single-flash flash-pattern, because that is the unit that is predictably repeated. So, if the flash pattern period was 0.6 seconds and the duration (hard to measure!) was 0.2 seconds, the interval would be 0.4 seconds.