Model for the Mating Protocol of Synchronously Flashing Fireflies

Abstract

THE synchronous flashing behaviour of Asian fireflies has drawn the attention of Western naturalists for more than 100 yr, and was reported even earlier1. Recent research and interest have been devoted to the physiological mechanisms of synchrony and the group display phenomenon, and have neglected consideration of individual fireflies within the swarms, their mating behaviour, and the significance of synchronizing to the individual. In this article I deal with these aspects of the biology of these fireflies. In Melanesia I observed eight species of Pteroptyx, the synchronizing fireflies, and fifteen species of Luciola, an allied genus. From these observations, published notes of others concerning Pteroptyx and observations of ninety-six species in other firefly genera, a model for the basic mating protocol of these confusing fireflies can be constructed.