The most spectacular of flashing displays comes from the genus “Pteroptyx”, also known as “congregating fireflies”, often observed in trees and shrubs along mangrove swamps. These can be found in certain parts of Malaysia, notably in Kuala Selangor.
On Thursday, the IUCN SSC Firefly Specialist Group revealed that the future of four congregating firefly species is now under threat, namely:
- the Comtesse’s firefly (“Pteroptyx bearni”);
- the synchronous bent-wing firefly (“Pteroptyx malaccae”);
- the perfect synchronous flashing firefly (“Pteroptyx tener”); and
- the non-synchronous bent-winged firefly (“Pteroptyx valida”).
Once abundant and widespread in intertidal mangrove forests across Southeast Asia, these species have now been deemed “vulnerable” when assessed against IUCN Red List criteria.
The Firefly Specialist Group works to identify key threats and conservation issues facing fireflies and glow worms around the world, and advocates for the most threatened species at national and global levels.
“While only 1% of the total known species in Southeast Asia have been assessed, all of them are at risk of extinction in the near future,” its co-chair, Wan Faridah Akmal Jusoh, said in a joint statement with Monash University Malaysia and the Indianapolis Zoo’s Global Center for Species Survival.
“This should serve as a wake-up call. We need to continue assessing the remaining firefly species to better plan for their conservation.”
Threats and mitigation
Primary threats include habitat loss and degradation owing to urban development and intensive agriculture, light pollution, climate change, and entomo-tourism (insect-related) activities, the statement highlighted.
Development has led to the destruction of mangrove vegetation and riverbanks, while artificial light at night interferes with courtship signals in certain species, leading to decreased mating success.
Additionally, rising sea levels are a potential future threat to congregating fireflies in mangroves.
The experts thus advocate measures such as implementing action plans that minimise mangrove habitat loss and degradation, and broader environmental initiatives to track and monitor firefly populations.
Artificial-light pollution can be controlled through regulations or simply by turning them off when not in use, while entomo-tourism activities could be regulated and monitored to stave off potential negative impacts on firefly populations, they added.
“The success of these measures relies on the collaboration of government agencies, conservation organisations, local communities and tourism operators, underlining the importance of collective action in protecting congregating fireflies in Southeast Asia,” the statement concluded.
Learn more about the IUCN SSC Firefly Specialist Group here.