![]() The last set is the threatened category, which accounts for about 14% of types of fireflies. While that means they could be doing well, they also could be in such a small pocket that they are on their way out or, worse, are already gone. The second group makes up 40% and includes those fireflies where too little is known about them: “They have been seen so little and reported so infrequently,” Henriques said. These are species with a wide geographic range and that alone makes them of lesser concern at the moment. The first are species that are considered not threatened, and Henriques said there are just a few like that. The fireflies they surveyed fell into three main categories. The results of that research were fascinating – if not frustrating. There has been a recent and ongoing effort to better grasp populations of lightning bugs, or fireflies, across North America and assess the threat of extinction, he said. They are working to gather more information. Researchers across the country, like Henriques, are trying to change that. Part of the problem, however, is that there isn’t great data on lightning bugs to be able to speak quantitatively or with specificity. “If you ask people on the street,” he said, “many people will fondly think of a time when they used to see more and now don’t see as many.” “If we go from qualitative assessment alone, they seem to be on the decline,” said Sérgio Henriques, the invertebrate conservation coordinator for the Indianapolis Zoo’s Global Center for Species Survival. At least that’s what the evidence suggests. The lights of fireflies are being snuffed out. ![]()
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