Soldier Beetles / Fireflies / Firecolored beetles

Fireflies (family Lampyridae) are also well known as lightning bugs are neither flies nor bugs but beetles. Many but not all are luminescent in the adult stage but all known larvae have light-bearing cells. The glow is produced in a chemical reaction catalyzed by the enzyme luciferase. Most species are brown or black with light markings. They are soft bodied insects with the head usually hidden under the thoracic shield. Larvae are predatory.There are 20 genera of this family in N. America with at least 200 species. Most of the genera are difficult to tell apart in the field. A microscope is needed to identify them. We show pictures of 4 genera here. Others are believed to exist in the forest also. Soldier beetles and net winged beetles mimic certain characteristics of the fireflies. Soldier beetles or leatherwings are abundant on flowers and foliage. They fly well and are valuable pollinators. They resemble many other beetle families which in turn mimic them. They usually have a long body that is soft and somewhat flattened. The legs and antenna are long and slender and threadlike, saw-toothed or comb like. The head is visible from above. The pronotum is not distinctly extended over the head. They are usually black or brown often with red, orange or yellow on the pronotum. They belong to the family Cantharidae.There are more than 470 species in N.America. Both adults and larvae have glands at the rear of the abdomen that secrete defensive chemicals. Fire colored beetles which are in the family Pyrochroidae resemble soldier beetles. The contrasting red and black colors warn of their toxic nature. Many species in this family have comb or antlerlike antennae.

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