''Pyrophorus'' (also known as fire beetles) is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

click beetle Elateridae or click beetles (or "typical click beetles" to distinguish them from the related families Cerophytidae and Eucnemidae, which are also capable of clicking) are a family of beetles. Other names include elaters, snapping beetles, s ...

(family

Elateridae Elateridae or click beetles (or "typical click beetles" to distinguish them from the related families Cerophytidae and Eucnemidae, which are also capable of clicking) are a family of beetles. Other names include elaters, snapping beetles, sp ...

). They are one of several genera in the tribe

Pyrophorini The Pyrophorini are a New World tribe (biology), taxonomic tribe within the click beetle, Elateridae (click beetle) subfamily Agrypninae.Kundrata R, Kubaczkova M, Prosvirov AS, Douglas HB, Fojtikova A, Costa C, Bousquet Y, Alonso-Zarazaga MA, Bou ...

, all of which are bioluminescent. Their bioluminescence is similar to that of another group of beetles, the

fireflies The Lampyridae are a family of elateroid beetles with more than 2,000 described species, many of which are light-emitting. They are soft-bodied beetles commonly called fireflies, lightning bugs, or glowworms for their conspicuous production ...

, although click beetles do not flash, but remain constantly glowing (though they can control the intensity; for example, they become brighter when touched by a potential predator). They have two luminescent spots at the posterior corners of 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 e ...

, and another brighter light organ on the most-anterior surface of the ventral abdomen. This light organ is even brighter and can only be seen when in flight. Bioluminescent click beetles are found throughout tropical, subtropical and temperate America. Species from

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and unincorporated ...

, and

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

are now in different genera in the tribe Pyrophorini, such as '' Deilelater'' and ''

Ignelater ''Ignelater'' is a genus of click beetle (family Elateridae). They are one of several genera in the tribe Pyrophorini, all of which are bioluminescent. Most of the species were formerly in the genus ''Pyrophorus (beetle), Pyrophorus''.Rosa, Simon ...

''.BugGuide
/ref> Adult ''Pyrophorus'' beetles feed on pollen and sometimes small insects, such as aphids or scale insects. Their larvae feed on various plant materials and invertebrates, including the larvae of other beetles. Eggs are luminous and are deposited either on or in the soil. Larvae, like eggs, are luminous. They grow slowly and pupate after an uncertain period of time, but perhaps several years after hatching. '' Pyrophorus nyctophanus'' larvae live in tunnels in the outer layers of termite mounds on the

cerrado The ''Cerrado'' (, ) is a vast ecoregion of tropical savanna in eastern Brazil, particularly in the states of Goiás, Mato Grosso do Sul, Mato Grosso, Tocantins, Minas Gerais, and the Federal District. The core areas of the Cerrado biome are the ...

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

. During summertime they glow at night, attracting prey in the form of other insects.

List of species

* '' Pyrophorus angustus'' Blanchard, 1843 * '' Pyrophorus avunculus'' Costa, 1972 * '' Pyrophorus canaliculatus'' Eschscholtz, 1829 * '' Pyrophorus carinatus'' Eschscholtz, 1829 * '' Pyrophorus clarus'' Germar, 1841 * '' Pyrophorus cucujus'' Illiger, 1807 * '' Pyrophorus dulcifer'' Costa, 1972 * '' Pyrophorus evexus'' Costa, 1972 * '' Pyrophorus expeditus'' Costa, 1972 * '' Pyrophorus foveolatus'' Germar, 1841 * '' Pyrophorus ignigenus'' Germar, 1841 * '' Pyrophorus indistinctus'' Germar, 1841 * '' Pyrophorus indulcatus'' Costa, 1972 * '' Pyrophorus ingens'' Costa, 1972 * '' Pyrophorus jocundus'' Costa, 1972 * '' Pyrophorus limbatus'' Candèze, 1863 * '' Pyrophorus lucidus'' Candèze, 1863 * '' Pyrophorus lucifer'' Illiger, 1807 * '' Pyrophorus magnus'' Costa, 1972 * '' Pyrophorus melitus'' Costa, 1972 * '' Pyrophorus mellifluus'' Costa, 1972 * '' Pyrophorus mutatus'' Candèze, 1893 * '' Pyrophorus nyctophanus'' Germar, 1841 * '' Pyrophorus nigropunctatus'' Drapiez, 1820 * ''

Pyrophorus noctilucus ''Pyrophorus noctilucus'', common name headlight elater, is a species of click beetle (family Elateridae). Description ''Pyrophorus noctilucus'' can reach a length of . The basic coloration is dark brown. The antennae are serrate. The pronotum ...

'' (Linnaeus, 1758) * '' Pyrophorus phosphorescens'' Laporte, 1840 * '' Pyrophorus pisticus'' Costa, 1972 * '' Pyrophorus plagiophthalmus'' Germar, 1841 * '' Pyrophorus punctatissimus'' Blanchard, 1843 * '' Pyrophorus pyropoecilus'' Germar, 1841 * '' Pyrophorus strabus'' Germar, 1841 * '' Pyrophorus stupendus'' Costa, 1972 * '' Pyrophorus tuberculifer'' Eschscholtz, 1829 * '' Pyrophorus validus'' Costa, 1972 * '' Pyrophorus veriloquus'' Costa, 1972

References

Elateridae in SYNOPSIS OF THE DESCRIBED COLEOPTERA OF THE WORLDBiolib

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Pyrophorus (Beetle) Elateridae genera Bioluminescent insects