Nightairs

Abstract

"Twenty-six species of the beetle family Lampyridae, commonly known as fireflies, paapaskile'fi in the Shawnee language, have been identified in the water-worn hollows and foothills of Appalachian Ohio; nineteen communicate with bioluminescent courtship displays. These flash codes--which vary in color, pattern, and duration, and by habitat, hour of night, and time of season--appear for a brief moment on warm nights in late spring and summer, at the very end of a firefly's one- to two-year life cycle. Male fireflies broadcast their signals, which females see and respond to from discreet places; if she answers his call, they will mate, and she will lay eggs, before their deaths. I maintained a watch of these displays over four successive summers, from 2019 to 2022." "Recorded with an exposure ranging from several seconds to an hour ..."--Page 76.