Fireflies in Southeast Asia: knowledge gaps, entomotourism and conservation

Cheng, Shawn; Faidi, Mohd Azahari; Sek-Aun, Tan; Vijayanathan, Jeyanny; Malek, Masbudi Abdul; Bahashim, Bidasari; Mat-Isa, Mohd-Noor

doi:10.1007/s10531-021-02129-3

Cited by 7 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 58 publications

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“…Stationary synchronous fireflies (Figure 3D) have in recent decades become popular tourist attractions due to the visual spectacle of their courtship displays (Cheng et al, 2021;Lewis et al, 2021). Males of these species form conspicuous leks, congregating en masse each evening within particular visually prominent display trees (Cratsley et al, 2012;Prasertkul, 2018;Jaikla et al, 2020b).…”

Section: Firefly Courtship Signaling Systemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Behavioral responses of bioluminescent fireflies to artificial light at night

Owens

Broeck²,

Cock³

et al. 2022

Front. Ecol. Evol.

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Bioluminescent insects have been the subject of scientific interest and popular wonder for millennia. But in the 21st century, the fireflies, click beetles, and cave glow-worms that brighten our nights are threatened by an unprecedented competitor: anthropogenic light pollution. Artificial lights can obscure the light-based signals on which these and other bioluminescent organisms rely to court mates, deter predators, and attract prey. In the following review we summarize a recent influx of research into the behavioral consequences of artificial light at night for firefly beetles (Coleoptera: Lampyridae), which we organize into four distinct courtship signaling systems. We conclude by highlighting several opportunities for further research to advance this emerging field and by offering a set of up-to-date lighting recommendations that can help land managers and other stakeholders balance public safety and ecological sustainability.

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Section: Firefly Courtship Signaling Systemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Behavioral responses of bioluminescent fireflies to artificial light at night

Owens

Broeck²,

Cock³

et al. 2022

Front. Ecol. Evol.

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“…Mass gatherings of synchronously and near-synchronously flashing populations of Pteroptyx spp. are a tourist attraction in Southeast Asia and an important contributor to the local economy (Cheng et al, 2021).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Widespread mitochondrial DNA haplotypes ofPteroptyxspp. across present–day river systems in Southeast Asia and their historical dispersal through ancient river networks

Cheng

Akaram

Faidi

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Estuarine fireflies from the genusPteroptyxare widely distributed in Southeast Asia and famous for their nightly displays of bioluminescence by adult fireflies congregating or lekking on mangrove trees.Pteroptyxfireflies also offer insights into the history of the region, as their distribution in many of the isolated rivers they now inhabit are likely a product of dispersal via palaeorivers that formed in Southeast Asia during the Pleistocene. Here, we report the presence of widespread cytochrome oxidase subunit I (cox1) haplotypes among populations ofPteroptyxspp. in estuaries throughout Southeast Asia and suggest possible dispersal routes for these haplotypes vis-à-vis the Siam and Malacca River systems. Separately, reconstruction of the haplotype tree from thecox1gene indicated that the ancestors ofPteroptyx asymmetria, Pteroptyx bearni, Pteroptyx malaccae, Pteroptyx tener, andPteroptyx validaeither had a Thai, Bornean, or Peninsular Malaysian origin. Previous reconstructions of the phylogenetic and network trees ofPteroptyxsp. did not consider the presence of identical mitochondrial DNA haplotypes in their datasets, and the role palaeorivers had on their dispersal. The perspectives reported here aim to guide future taxonomic, phylogenetic and phylogeographic work onPteroptyxfireflies in Southeast Asia.

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“…This same situation is faced by other insects [8]. In addition, firefly tourism without proper management could result in decreased firefly populations [2,9,10]. The problem has, thus, led to increased public awareness of firefly conservation.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Firefly Translocation: A Case Study of Genetic and Behavioral Evaluation in Thailand

Thancharoen¹

2021

Bioluminescence - Technology and Biology

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Conservation translocation is frequently used to conserve the threatened fauna by releasing individuals from the wild or captive populations into a particular area. This approach, however, is not successful in many cases because the translocated populations could not self-sustain in the new habitats. In this chapter, I reviewed the concept of translocation for conservation and the factors associated with the success rate. I used example problems from several cases involving different insect taxa. With its often high potential to mass rear in captivity, captive breeding can be a powerful tool by assuring large population size for insect translocation, which can result in a high success rate. However, genetic consequences from inbreeding and genetic adaptation to captivity can reduce the fitness of the captive population to establish successfully in the wild. Additionally, as the evidence in Japanese fireflies shows, the genetic differences between the translocated and local populations should be considered for a sustainable translocation program. A case study involved genetic and behavioral evaluation of S. aquatilis populations to assess the possibility of including the species for the firefly translocation program in Thailand. Although the results revealed no genetic variation among populations, examination of the variation in flash signals showed that the long-distance population had a longer courtship flash pulse than other populations in the Bangkok Metropolitan Region. With no geographical barrier, the light pollution and urbanization are probably important fragmented barriers causing adaptation of flash communication to increase the fitness. As a consequence, firefly translocation should consider flash variation between populations to prevent this potential pre-mating isolation mechanism from resulting in probable lower translocation success rates.

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Fireflies in Southeast Asia: knowledge gaps, entomotourism and conservation

Cited by 7 publications

References 58 publications

Behavioral responses of bioluminescent fireflies to artificial light at night

Behavioral responses of bioluminescent fireflies to artificial light at night

Widespread mitochondrial DNA haplotypes ofPteroptyxspp. across present–day river systems in Southeast Asia and their historical dispersal through ancient river networks

Firefly Translocation: A Case Study of Genetic and Behavioral Evaluation in Thailand

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