''Ellychnia'' is a
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...
of
fireflies
The Lampyridae are a family (biology), family of Elateroidea, elateroid beetles with more than 2,000 described species, many of which are bioluminescence, light-emitting. They are soft-bodied beetles commonly called fireflies, lightning bugs, ...
. First defined by
Émile Blanchard
Charles Émile Blanchard (6 March 1819 – 11 February 1900) was a French zoologist and entomologist.
Career
Blanchard was born in Paris. His father was an artist and naturalist and Émile began natural history very early in life. When he w ...
in 1845, the genus contains 24 species,
which are widespread in the United States.
Adults are black, with rose-colored marks on the
pronotum
The prothorax is the foremost of the three segments in the thorax of an insect, and bears the first pair of legs. Its principal sclerites (exoskeletal plates) are the pronotum (dorsal), the prosternum (ventral), and the propleuron (lateral) on ea ...
;
sexual dimorphism
Sexual dimorphism is the condition where the sexes of the same animal and/or plant species exhibit different morphological characteristics, particularly characteristics not directly involved in reproduction. The condition occurs in most ani ...
is unknown.
These
beetle
Beetles are insects that form the order Coleoptera (), in the superorder Endopterygota. Their front pair of wings are hardened into wing-cases, elytra, distinguishing them from most other insects. The Coleoptera, with about 400,000 describ ...
s are active during the day, and have no light-producing organs as adults;
instead, they attract mates using chemical signals.
The larvae of ''Ellychnia'' fireflies live in rotting logs.
Species list
*''
E. affinis''
*''
E. albilatera''
*''
E. atra''
*''
E. aurora''
*''
E. autumnalis''
*''
E. bivulneris''
*''
E. californica''
*''
E. cordovae''
*''
E. corrusca''
*''
E. facula''
*''
E. flavicollis''
*''
E. fumigata''
*''
E. granulicollis''
*''
E. greeni''
*''
E. hatchi''
*''
E. lacustris''
*''
E. lunicollis''
*''
E. mexicana''
*''
E. moesta''
*''
E. obscurevittata''
*''
E. salvini''
*''
E. sanguinicollis''
*''
E. simplex''
*''
E. variegata''
References
Cited texts
*
Lampyridae genera
Lampyridae
Beetles of North America
Taxa named by Émile Blanchard
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