Bug FAQPleotomus pallens
Pleotomus pallens · Order: Coleoptera · Family: Lampyridae
Female Pleotomus pallens fireflies shine brighter than males, but their glow fades after they lay eggs and then they die. This species lives in both Central America and North America.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Females emit a brighter light than males, and the light decreases after they lay eggs; the female then dies.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Its native range includes Central America and North America.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 5 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Kansas, Tennessee.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
How does the female's light change after she lays eggs?
The female’s light becomes dimmer after she lays eggs, and she dies afterward.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Lampyridae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pleotomus_pallens
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-26 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-26.