Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jun 10, 2026

Pterotus

Pterotus is the sole genus in the firefly subfamily Pterotinae. It is characterized by flabellate antennae with three to ten antennomeres and rami, or branches, of the antennae longer than the antennomeres.

Last revised
Jun 10, 2026
Read time
≈ 1 min
Length
304 w
Citations
9
Source
Wikipedia ↗
Pterotus
Pterotus obscuripennis
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Clade: Pancrustacea
Class: Insecta
Order: Coleoptera
Suborder: Polyphaga
Infraorder: Elateriformia
Family: Lampyridae
Subfamily: Pterotinae
Genus: Pterotus
LeConte, 1859
Species

Pterotus curticornis Chemsak, 19781
Pterotus obscuripennis LeConte, 18592

Pterotus is the sole genus in the firefly subfamily Pterotinae. It is characterized by flabellate antennae with three to ten antennomeres and rami, or branches, of the antennae longer than the antennomeres.3

Pterotus is found in chaparral habitats on the western coast of North America and in deserts as far east as Jeff Davis County, Texas.4 Adult females are larviform and both emit pheromones and glow to attract non-luminescent males.5 While there are two described species in Pterotus,678 whether they are truly separate species is yet unclear.4

References

References

  1. Chemsak, John A. (1978). "A New Species of Pterotus LeConte from California (Coleoptera: Lampyridae)". The Pan-Pacific Entomologist. 54 (2): 157–158.
  2. LeConte, J. L. (1859). "Catalogue of the Coleoptera of Fort Tejon, California". Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. 11: 69–90.
  3. The Xerces Society (2023-05-18). Firefly Identification Course Module 3: Firefly Genera of the US and Canada. Retrieved 2026-01-25 – via YouTube.
  4. Anna Walker (Albuquerque Biopark, New Mexico); Ben Pfeiffer (Firefly Conservation & Research (Nonprofit)) (2020-12-11). "IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Pterotus curticornis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Archived from the original on 2025-05-06.
  5. "Pterotus obscuripennis - NatureServe Explorer 2.0". explorer.natureserve.org. Retrieved 2026-01-25.
  6. "Pterotus Report". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 2025-12-26.
  7. "Pterotus". GBIF. Retrieved 2019-09-24.
Further reading

Further reading