Spring Pygmy Firefly vs Smokies Synchronous Firefly

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Spring Pygmy Firefly Smokies Synchronous Firefly
Scientific Name Pleotomus pallens Photinus macdermotti
Order Coleoptera Coleoptera
Family Lampyridae Lampyridae
Size 5-8 mm 9-12 mm
Habitat Underground Mountains
Diet Omnivores Omnivores
Regions Eastern North America North America
Conservation Not Evaluated Least Concern

Spring Pygmy Firefly

A tiny, rarely seen firefly of the eastern United States with a very short adult life span. Males produce faint, sporadic greenish flashes close to the ground.

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Did You Know?

Females are wingless and larviform, and were once classified as a completely separate species from the males.

Smokies Synchronous Firefly

A firefly found in the central Appalachian region that produces slow, deliberate flashes. It is closely related to the famous synchronous fireflies.

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Did You Know?

DNA studies have revealed that many seemingly identical firefly species are actually distinct, hidden by their reliance on flash patterns rather than appearance.