Bethany Beach Firefly :: Photuris bethaniensis

Bad at Goodbyes :: Episode 039

On today’s show we learn about the Bethany Beach Firefly, a critically endangered insect native to the eastern coast of North America, specifically the US states of Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia.

• (00:05) Intro
• (02:05) Species Information
• (31:04) Citations
• (33:28) Music
• (42:29) Pledge

For more information about the conservation and protection of the Bethany Beach Firefly please visit the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation at http://xerces.org.

Research for today’s show was compiled from:

• Annual Review of Cell and Developmental Biology. Volume 14, Nov 1998 pp 197-230. Thérèse Wilson, and J. Woodland Hastings. “Bioluminescence”. –  https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.cellbio.14.1.197 
• The Coleopterists Bulletin v.58 no.3, pp 349-353, September 2000. Christopher M. Heckscher and Charles R. Bartlett. "Rediscovery and Habitat Associations of Photuris Bethaniensis McDermott (Coleoptera: Lampyridae)". – https://doi.org/10.1649/622 
• Delaware News Journal June 21, 2019. Maddy Lauria. “Rare Bethany firefly threatened by new beach homes”. – https://www.delmarvanow.com/story/news/local/delaware/2019/06/21/new-beach-development-could-help-kill-off-rare-bethany-firefly/1508724001/ 
• Insects vol. 15, no. 1: 71. Lewis, Sara M., Wan F. A. Jusoh, Anna C. Walker, Candace E. Fallon, Richard Joyce, and Vor Yiu. 2024. "Illuminating Firefly Diversity: Trends, Threats and Conservation Strategies". – https://doi.org/10.3390/insects15010071 
• The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2021: e.T164045981A166771578. Heckscher, C., Walker, A. & Fallon, C. 2021. “Photuris bethaniensis”. – https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-1.RLTS.T164045981A166771578.en
• National Archives Code of Federal Regulations – https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-50/chapter-I/subchapter-B/part-17/subpart-D/section-17.47 
• PLOS One. November 17, 2021. Candace E. Fallon , Anna C. Walker, Sara Lewis, Joseph Cicero, Lynn Faust, Christopher M. Heckscher, Cisteil X. Pérez-Hernández, Ben Pfeiffer, Sarina Jepsen. “Evaluating firefly extinction risk: Initial red list assessments for North America”. – https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0259379 
• Proceedings of the United States National Museum. Vol 103 (3314):35–37. McDermott, Frank A. 1953. "Photuris bethaniensis, a New Lampyrid Firefly”. – https://doi.org/10.5479/si.00963801.3314.35 
• Sierra Club Delaware Chapter – https://www.sierraclub.org/Bethany-Firefly 
• University of Minnesota Department of Entomology – https://entomology.umn.edu/bethany-beach-firefly 
• US Fish and Wildlife Service – https://www.fws.gov/species/bethany-beach-firefly-photuris-bethaniensis 
• US Fish and Wildlife Service Species Status Assessment Report For the Bethany Beach Firefly February 2024 – https://www.fws.gov/node/5231946
• The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation. 2024. 22 pp. Fallon, C. and R. Joyce. “Firefly Species Fact Sheet: Bethany Beach Firefly, Photuris bethaniensis.” – https://www.fireflyatlas.org/threatened-species-fact-sheets/ 

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A note on accuracy: I strive for it! These episodes are well-researched and built from scholarly sources, hoping to provide an informed and accurate portrait of these species. That said, I’m an ambient musician! I am not an academic and have limited scientific background. I may get things wrong! If you are using this podcast for scholarship of any kind, please see the cited sources and double-check all information.