''Photuris'' 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 (

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 of the

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Lampyridae). These are the ''femme fatale'' lightning bugs of

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

. This common name refers to a behavior of the adult females of these

predator Predation is a biological interaction where one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation (which usually do not kill th ...

s; they engage in aggressive mimicry, imitating the light signals of other firefly

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

' females to attract, kill, and eat the males. Their flashing

bioluminescent Bioluminescence is the production and emission of light by living organisms. It is a form of chemiluminescence. Bioluminescence occurs widely in marine vertebrates and invertebrates, as well as in some Fungus, fungi, microorganisms including ...

signals seem to have

evolved Evolution is change in the heritable characteristics of biological populations over successive generations. These characteristics are the expressions of genes, which are passed on from parent to offspring during reproduction. Variation t ...

independently and eventually

adapted In biology, adaptation has three related meanings. Firstly, it is the dynamic evolutionary process of natural selection that fits organisms to their environment, enhancing their evolutionary fitness. Secondly, it is a state reached by the po ...

to those of their prey, mainly unrelated Lampyrinae, such as '' Photinus'' (

rover fireflies The rover fireflies (''Photinus'') are a genus of fireflies (family Lampyridae). They are the type genus of tribe Photinini in subfamily Lampyrinae. This genus contains, for example, the common eastern firefly (''P. pyralis''), the most commo ...

) or '' Pyractomena''.

Species

At least 64 species are currently recognized, all restricted to temperate North America. They mainly occur from the East Coast to Texas. Species include: *' – Barber, 1951 *''

Photuris bethaniensis ''Photuris bethaniensis'' is a species of firefly in the genus Photuris. ''Photuris bethaniensis'', also known as the Bethany Beach Firefly, is found in interdunal swale habitats along a 25 kilometre stretch of shoreline in Sussex County, Dela ...

''– McDermott, 1953 *' – Barber, 1951 *' – Barber, 1951 *'– LeConte, 1852 *'– LeConte, 1852 *''

Photuris fairchildi ''Photuris fairchildi'' is a species of firefly in the 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 fr ...

''– Barber, 1951 *'– Fall, 1927 *''

Photuris floridana ''Photuris'' is a genus of fireflies (beetles of the family Lampyridae). These are the ''femme fatale'' lightning bugs of North America. This common name refers to a behavior of the adult females of these predatory beetles; they engage in aggr ...

'' – Fall, 1927 *''

Photuris frontalis ''Photuris frontalis'' is a synchronous-flashing firefly species in the beetle family Lampyridae The Lampyridae are a family of elateroid beetles with more than 2,000 described species, many of which are light-emitting. They are soft-bod ...

'' – LeConte, 1852 *' – Barber, 1951 *''

Photuris lineaticollis ''Photuris'' is a genus of fireflies (beetles of the family Lampyridae). These are the ''femme fatale'' lightning bugs of North America. This common name refers to a behavior of the adult females of these predatory beetles; they engage in aggr ...

'' – Motschulsky, 1854 *'' Photuris llyodi'' – McDermott, 1966 *''

Photuris lucicrescens ''Photuris'' is a genus of fireflies (beetles of the family Lampyridae). These are the ''femme fatale'' lightning bugs of North America. This common name refers to a behavior of the adult females of these predatory beetles; they engage in aggre ...

'' – Barber, 1951 *'' Photuris missouriensis'' – McDermott, 1962 *'' Photuris mysticalampas'' – Heckscher, 2013 *'' Photuris pensylvanica'' – De Geer, 1774 *'' Photuris potomaca'' – Barber, 1951 *'' Photuris pyralomina'' – Barber, 1951 *'' Photuris quadrifulgens''– Barber, 1951 *'' Photuris salina''– Barber, 1951 *' – Barber, 1951 *''

Photuris versicolor ''Photuris versicolor'', is a species complex of firefly common throughout the Eastern United States. Fireflies famously use flash-based visual signalling to find mates at a distance and each species of firefly has a unique flash pattern sequen ...

'' – Fabricius, 1798 *''

Photuris walldoxeyi ''Photuris'' is a genus of fireflies (beetles of the family Lampyridae). These are the ''femme fatale'' lightning bugs of North America. This common name refers to a behavior of the adult females of these predatory beetles; they engage in agg ...

''– Faust and Davis, 2019

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1382370 Lampyridae genera Beetles described in 1833 Taxa named by Pierre François Marie Auguste Dejean