Firefly Duskyling © Even Dankowicz
Firefly Duskyling © Tom Murray
Firefly Duskyling © Tom Murray
The Firefly Duskyling is native to North America. It is primarily black with pale tips on its wing covers. It feeds primarily on aphids.
Status
Native
Ranked as Imperiled in Ontario; not ranked in the United States.
Last Seen
1976
Fun Fact
The Firefly Duskyling used to be common in the eastern and southeastern United States.
Identification
Small beetle, 1.5 to 2 mm in length. Firefly Duskylings are slightly oval in shape and are covered in tiny, light-colored hairs.
- Elytra are black, with the bottom fifth being light brown/ orange in color.
- Pronotum is black, with a light brown/ orange margin along the front, connecting a patch of the same color on the anterior sides of the pronotum.
- Head is light brown to orange in color.
- Legs are light brown to orange in color.
- Underside is mostly black, except for the head and end of the abdomen (final segment of the beetle).
Habitat
Meadows, fields, agricultural crops, and occasionally forests.
General Range
Eastern and midwestern United States. South to Florida, north to Vermont.
Food
Eats a variety of aphids. Studies have found that the Firefly Duskling consumes, on average, 5 to 13 aphids per day.
Life History
Research done on the Firefly Duskling have found that one individual will lay between 41 and 85 eggs over the course of its lifetime. Like other species of Lady Beetle, developmental time may vary with environmental conditions. One study, and supporting literature review, found that the Firefly Duskyling eggs take 3-6 days to hatch, larval development to occur between 4 and 10 days, and pupae development to take 3 to 5 days. Eggs are deposited on or along leaf midribs. Adult life span seems to be undetermined, but some individuals have been recorded to live up to 143 days. In another study, adults lived 26 days, on average.
More Information
You can find more information about Firefly Duskylings using the following links:
Vermont Distribution
Visit the iNaturalist Observation Map and Occurrence Records to find out where Firefly Duskylings have been seen in Vermont.
