Photuris
Template:Short description Template:About Template:Use dmy dates Template:Automatic taxobox
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 aggressive mimicry, imitating the light signals of other firefly species' females to attract matesTemplate:Sndbut Photuris use it to attract, kill and eat the unsuspecting males of those other species. Their flashing bioluminescent signals seem to have evolved independently and eventually adapted to those of their prey, mainly unrelated Lampyrinae, such as Photinus (rover fireflies) or Pyractomena.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
SpeciesEdit
At least 64 species are currently recognized,<ref name=Lloyd>Template:Cite journal</ref> all restricted to temperate North America.<ref name=Arnett>Template:Cite book</ref> They mainly occur from the East Coast to Texas.<ref name=ADW>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Species include:
- Template:Ill – Barber, 1951
- Photuris bethaniensis– McDermott, 1953
- Template:Ill – Barber, 1951
- Template:Ill – Barber, 1951
- Template:Ill– LeConte, 1852
- Template:Ill– LeConte, 1852
- Photuris fairchildi– Barber, 1951
- Template:Ill– Fall, 1927
- Photuris floridana – Fall, 1927
- Photuris frontalis – LeConte, 1852
- Photuris hebes – Barber, 1951
- Photuris lineaticollis – Motschulsky, 1854
- Photuris llyodi – McDermott, 1966
- Photuris lucicrescens – 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
- Photuris versicolor – Fabricius, 1798
- Photuris walldoxeyi– Faust and Davis, 2019