﻿PROCEEDINGS 
  OF 
  THE 
  UNITED 
  STATES 
  NATIONAL 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  Issued 
  iMiflVjrt, 
  <^^| 
  hy 
  the 
  

  

  SMITHSONIAN 
  INSTITUTION 
  

  

  U. 
  S. 
  NATIONAL 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  Vol. 
  103 
  Washington: 
  1953 
  No. 
  3314 
  

  

  PHOTURIS 
  BETHANIENSIS, 
  A 
  NEW 
  LAMPYRID 
  FIREFLY 
  

  

  By 
  Frank 
  A. 
  McDermott 
  

  

  In 
  August 
  1949, 
  at 
  Bethany 
  Beach 
  in 
  southern 
  Delaware, 
  some 
  ob- 
  

   servations 
  were 
  made 
  on 
  the 
  few 
  lampyrids 
  then 
  still 
  flying. 
  A 
  single 
  

   specimen 
  of 
  Photinus 
  pyralis 
  (Linnaeus, 
  1767) 
  and 
  one 
  of 
  Photuris 
  

   versicolor 
  (Fabricius, 
  1798) 
  were 
  observed, 
  and 
  a 
  very 
  few 
  instances 
  

   of 
  a 
  double 
  greenish 
  flash 
  were 
  noted 
  over 
  grass 
  in 
  a 
  large 
  vacant 
  area 
  

   at 
  the 
  north 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  town 
  and 
  perhaps 
  1,000 
  feet 
  from 
  the 
  ocean 
  

   front. 
  The 
  insects 
  giving 
  this 
  flash 
  were 
  not 
  captured, 
  however, 
  in 
  

   spite 
  of 
  much 
  pursuit, 
  but 
  another 
  insect 
  was 
  seen 
  to 
  fly 
  into 
  the 
  grass 
  

   while 
  giving 
  the 
  frequently 
  repeated, 
  rather 
  dim 
  flash 
  characteristic 
  of 
  

   females 
  of 
  Photuris. 
  This 
  one 
  was 
  taken 
  and 
  proved 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  rather 
  

   small 
  female 
  Photuris 
  with 
  a 
  distribution 
  of 
  the 
  black 
  pigmentation 
  on 
  

   the 
  pronotum 
  different 
  from 
  any 
  previously 
  seen. 
  Previous 
  visits 
  

   to 
  Bethany 
  Beach 
  earlier 
  in 
  the 
  year 
  had 
  yielded 
  nothing 
  notable, 
  ex- 
  

   cept 
  the 
  relative 
  scarcity 
  of 
  lampyrids. 
  In 
  July 
  1951 
  I 
  again 
  spent 
  a 
  

   few 
  days 
  at 
  Bethany 
  Beach, 
  and 
  again 
  saw 
  the 
  double 
  greenish 
  flash. 
  

   This 
  was 
  considerably 
  later 
  than 
  the 
  usual 
  period 
  of 
  prevalence 
  of 
  P. 
  

   versicolor., 
  and 
  it 
  seemed 
  probable 
  that 
  this 
  flash 
  was 
  that 
  of 
  a 
  different 
  

   species. 
  Several 
  males 
  were 
  taken, 
  and 
  one 
  female, 
  the 
  latter 
  unfor- 
  

   tunately 
  lost 
  by 
  accident, 
  but 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  noted 
  that 
  the 
  females 
  are 
  

   apparently 
  relatively 
  scarce. 
  

  

  It 
  differs 
  from 
  other 
  photurids 
  so 
  far 
  found 
  in 
  Delaware 
  by 
  the 
  

   relatively 
  small 
  size, 
  the 
  distribution 
  of 
  the 
  pronotal 
  pigmentation, 
  

   and 
  the 
  rather 
  distinctly 
  different 
  flash 
  of 
  the 
  male. 
  The 
  pronotal 
  

   black 
  pigmentation, 
  while 
  rather 
  variable, 
  has 
  a 
  distinct 
  tendency 
  to 
  

   be 
  enlarged 
  toward 
  the 
  apical 
  margin, 
  and 
  in 
  none 
  of 
  the 
  specimens 
  

   did 
  this 
  spot 
  show 
  the 
  forms 
  characteristic 
  of 
  those 
  of 
  P. 
  versicolor., 
  

  

  228423—53 
  35 
  

  

  