Pyractomena borealis
(Randall, 1828)
Spring Treetop Flasher, Spring tree-top flasher
Pyractomena borealis is a firefly in the Lampyridae, commonly known as the Spring Treetop Flasher. It exhibits one of the widest distributions of any North American firefly, ranging from Alberta across Canada to the Maritime Provinces and southward to all U.S. states east of the Mississippi River. The species is active in spring and is associated with wooded . Like other fireflies, it produces , though specific flash pattern details for this species are not well documented in available sources.



Pronunciation
How to pronounce Pyractomena borealis: /pɪˌræktəˈmiːnə boʊˈriːəlɪs/
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Images
Habitat
Wooded areas and forest edges; associated with tree as suggested by "Treetop Flasher". Specific microhabitat details beyond general woodland association are not documented.
Distribution
North America: Alberta east to Maritime Provinces of Canada; south to all U.S. states east of the Mississippi River.
Seasonality
Spring activity period, as indicated by "Spring Treetop Flasher".
Sources and further reading
- BugGuide
- Wikipedia
- GBIF taxonomy match
- iNaturalist taxon
- NCBI Taxonomy
- Catalogue of Life
- Bugs for All, All for Bugs | Bug Squad
- Grasshoppers of Wyoming and the West
- Grasshoppers of Colorado
- Zombie bees, Apis mellifera, and their tormentor the humpbacked fly, Apocephalus borealis — Bug of the Week
- Did One Praying Mantis Give Rise to an All-Female Species?
- Back-Seat Driver: The Parasite That Makes Bees Drop Off Its Babies