Lights out? Fireflies face extinction threat
Loss of habitat, artificial light are primary reasons
One of summer’s most enduring sights may be extinguished forever in some parts of the world.
Fireflies, aka lightning bugs, are facing a triple extinction threat from habitat loss, artificial light and pesticide use, new research suggests.
Loss of habitat is the primary threat, scientists say: “Lots of wildlife species are declining because their habitat is shrinking,” said study lead author Sara Lewis of Tufts University, “so it wasn’t a huge surprise that habitat loss was considered the biggest threat.
“Some fireflies get hit especially hard when their habitat disappears because they need special conditions to complete their life cycle,” she said in a statement. “For instance, one Malaysian firefly, famous for its synchronized flash displays, is a mangrove specialist.” In Malaysia, fireflies are diminishing because mangroves are being cut down to make way for palm oil plantations and aquaculture farms.
The second-most serious threat to fireflies is considered to be light pollution. This is because artificial light at night has grown exponentially during the past century.
“In addition to disrupting natural biorhythms – including our own – light pollution really messes up firefly mating rituals,” said study co-author Avalon Owens, also of Tufts University.
“Many fireflies rely on bioluminescence to find and attract their mates, and previous work has shown that too much artificial light can interfere with these courtship exchanges,” Owens said.
Firefly experts viewed the widespread agricultural use of pesticides as another key threat to firefly survival.
Working as part of the International Union for Conservation of Nature Firefly Specialist Group, the authors surveyed 350 members of the Fireflyers International Network to gauge the threats that the bugs face.
Fireflies belong to a “widespread and economically important insect group,” the research said, with more than 2,000 different species spread out around the world.
In some parts of the world, such as Mexico, South Korea, Malaysia and Thailand, “firefly tourism” is an important part of the local economy, researchers say.
“Our goal is to make this knowledge available for land managers, policy makers and firefly fans everywhere,” said co-author Sonny Wong of the Malaysian Nature Society. “We want to keep fireflies lighting up our nights for a long, long time.”
The research was published Monday in the journal BioScience.