Lightning bugs or fireflies: What are those glowing insects called?

It’s an age-old debate that divides households, pals, states and nations: Lightning bugs or fireflies?

You chased them as a child, captured them in your arms. Possibly even put them in jars for an hour or two to review earlier than releasing them to the evening sky. 

Everybody has the identical fond reminiscences, however agreeing on what to name these glowing bugs is one other matter. 

The reply might shock you. It’s each easy and sophisticated — suddenly. Drumroll please …

Each are proper.

And neither are proper.

Yep, you learn that accurately. 

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Each fireflies and lightning bugs seek advice from the identical insect. And each are generally accepted throughout the U.S. Which time period you employ, nevertheless, may rely on the place you grew up and stay. 

The surroundings and geography wherein folks develop up usually can have a big effect on language. Take into consideration accents in addition to turns of phrase and expressions, y’all. One concept concludes the identical is true for whether or not you like to make use of firefly or lightning bug. 

Because it so occurs, analysis exhibits that firefly is the extra widespread time period used out West and in New England. Lightning bug is the time period of selection for most folk from the Midwest and the South. 

However why it breaks down that approach will get much more fascinating. 

A meteorological researcher surmised a couple years ago that the areas the place folks are inclined to say “lightning bug” overlaps with the elements of the nation the place lightning strikes are extra frequent. 

I’m positive you’ll be able to see the place that is going. In a lot of the West, the place “firefly” is used extra regularly, wildfires are a extra common prevalence. 

The correlation could possibly be a mere coincidence. Extra analysis is required to substantiate if that’s in truth the case. However at the very least, it makes for a very good story and extra regional debate.

Many individuals in Indiana really feel strongly about utilizing what they are saying is the proper time period. Of a pair dozen feedback on a Fb thread — a really severe ballot — the overwhelming majority mentioned they’re generally known as lightning bugs within the Hoosier state.  

“No one from Indiana calls them fireflies,” one commenter even went to this point to say. 

And in Europe, they’re known as one thing else fully: glowworms. 

All that mentioned, none of these phrases are appropriate.

They aren’t bugs, flies or worms.

They’re beetles (which is definitely totally different from a bug in scientific entomology phrases). 

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These bugs are nocturnal members of the Lampyridae household. They’re beetles, similar to Ladybugs, and like others of their household, they’ve a pair of hardened wing instances that the wings fold beneath. 

So subsequent time this debate sparks up round a campfire or a late evening barbecue, you should utilize this info to assist mediate and preserve issues civil.

Just a few different lightning bug, firefly information it’s possible you’ll not have recognized

• Fireflies use their flashes for greater than lighting up the evening sky. That’s how they entice a mate. In different phrases, that’s their love language. Often the bugs you see hovering in your yard are the males. Every species will flash in numerous shapes of various sequences — a code if you’ll — to verify they discover the correct accomplice. 
• The females of 1 firefly species have earned the nickname femme fatales. That’s as a result of they are going to mimic the flash patterns of different species to lure in unsuspecting males. Then they strike — a pleasant approach of saying they’ve that male for dinner. 
• Not all lightning bugs gentle up. There are a number of species of the beetle that really don’t produce gentle of their grownup type, and these are generally known as “darkish” fireflies. These species use their sense of odor to mate. That mentioned, all species of fireflies — even the darkish ones — gentle up of their larval stage. 
• The entire flashing fireflies in Indiana are categorised into three teams, distinguished by the colour that they glow. Species within the genus Photinus have a yellow flash, these within the Photuris genus have a inexperienced flash and people within the Pyractomena genus have an amber flash. Indiana’s state insect, the Say’s firefly, falls into that final class. 
• Whereas many are indistinguishable to the untrained eye, there are tons (tons) of various species of lightning bugs: Greater than 1,900 throughout the globe. Inside North America, there are about 170 totally different recognized kinds of the beetle. One of many largest species, present in East Asia, can develop to be the dimensions of your palm! 
• Fireflies have been round for the reason that time of the dinosaurs, and scientists are nonetheless simply scratching the floor by way of learning these creatures. Researchers hope to proceed studying from them for medical development in addition to understanding how they convey and synchronize with one another. 

Name IndyStar reporter Sarah Bowman at 317-444-6129 or e mail at sarah.bowman@indystar.com. Comply with her on Twitter and Fb: @IndyStarSarah. Join with IndyStar’s environmental reporters: Be part of The Scrub on Fb.

IndyStar’s environmental reporting challenge is made doable by way of the beneficiant assist of the nonprofit Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Belief.