Bug FAQBlack Firefly
Lucidota atra · Order: Coleoptera · Family: Lampyridae
Also called: Woodland Lucy
The black firefly is a small beetle about 9 to 12 mm long, with black, serrated antennae and a pronotum that is often red and yellow with a black stripe, though some are all dark; its wing covers are black or brown-black and feel granulated. Adults appear in early to midsummer; after mating the female lays eggs that hatch in two to three weeks, and the larvae or pupae overwinter before emerging as adults.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
The antennae are black, segmented, and serrated, with males having larger ones. The pronotum usually shows red and yellow colors with a central black stripe or patch, but some individuals are uniformly dark.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Adults measure 9 to 12 mm in length (about 0.35 to 0.47 in).
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
They are found mainly in open forest or shady open areas.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
The flightless larvae live in moist, decaying wood and prey on soft-bodied invertebrates such as snails and slugs.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Advanced larvae or pupae overwinter and become adults in early to midsummer.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Adults emerge in early to midsummer. In eastern Canada, larvae emerge late May and adult numbers peak from late June to mid-July.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Their range covers eastern North America.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 39 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Massachusetts, Ohio, Minnesota, New York, Illinois, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Virginia.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in United States; native in Canada. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
When can I expect to see adult black fireflies?
Adults are typically seen from early to midsummer, with peak numbers in late June to mid-July in eastern Canada.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Lampyridae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucidota_atra
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-22 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.