Blue Ghost Firefly

Pronunciation

How to pronounce Phausis reticulata: /ˈfaʊsɪs rɛˌtɪkjʊˈlɑːtə/

These audio files are automatically generated. While they are not always 100% accurate, they are a good starting point.

Images

Summary

Phausis reticulata, or the blue ghost firefly, is a luminescent beetle known for its steady glowing. Males are brown with large eyes and emit a continuous green glow, while females remain in larval form throughout adulthood and lack the ability to fly. It is commonly found in moist forest areas of the southern Appalachian region.

Physical Characteristics

Males are 5-8.5 mm long, all brown with large eyes and short second antennomere. Females are wingless, yellow, and measure 4-9 mm long. Males emit a steady green glow that appears blueish-white at a distance due to the Purkinje effect.

Identification Tips

Look for all-brown males with large eyes and light organs occupying sternites 5-6. Females are larviform, lack wings, and glow continuously.

Habitat

Prefers warm and moist forest areas, especially near spongy leaf litter, dry and moist woods, near water, and along high, dry ridges.

Distribution

Southern United States, primarily in the southern Appalachian Mountains, with populations in Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, and isolated pockets in northern Florida.

Life Cycle

Mating occurs in warm, moist areas; females glow continuously to attract males. Eggs are laid in clutches of 20-30 and hatch in 4-5 weeks after the mother's death. Larvae are bioluminescent and measure 1-2 mm.

Reproduction

Females can mate multiple times and guard their eggs until they die. Eggs hatch a few weeks after deposition.

Misconceptions

The glow emitted by this species can appear blue to some observers, leading to confusion with other luminescent organisms.

Tags

• Phausis reticulata
• blue ghost firefly
• firefly
• luminescent
• southern Appalachians