📸 PhotoPhoto: Alpsdake · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons Source
Genji firefly
Nipponoluciola cruciata (Genji firefly · ゲンジボタル)
Not Evaluated (NE) on the IUCN Red List yet.
💡 Everyday Comparisons for Size, Mass & Speed
- 💡 A maximum female length of 18.4 mm is almost equal to the diameter of a Korean 10-won coin (18 mm) (Comparison).
- 💡 Research papers note that the synchronous flash interval of males is about 2 seconds in western Honshu populations and about 4 seconds in eastern populations.
Reference standards: coach bus ~12 m, mid-size car ~4.9 m, compact car ~1 t, basketball hoop 3.05 m, credit card 8.56 cm.
📖 1. Overview
The Genji firefly is a firefly endemic to Japan whose aquatic larvae live underwater. In a 2022 paper, it was moved to the new genus Nipponoluciola.
🦴 2. Anatomy & Morphology
Adult body length is 10.5–15.8 mm in males and 14.0–18.4 mm in females, and final-instar larvae measure about 25–29 mm. The body is mostly black, with a black cross-shaped mark on the pale pronotum.
🔍 3. Ecology & Behavior
Larvae live in shallow, oxygen-rich water and cannot swim. Males flash synchronously while flying and females flash irregularly from grass blades to recognize each other. Streams with gravel bottoms and abundant freshwater snails support larger populations.
🇰🇷 4. Connection to Korea
No direct record connecting this species to Korea has been found.
📚 Sources & References
- • IUCN Red List: not evaluated (NE) — cross-checked with the Wikidata conservation-status entry
- • catalogueoflife.org — QVZ89
- • wikidata.org — Q133677982
- • commons.wikimedia.org — File:Luciola cruciata.jpg
- • europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu — 8327
- • doi.org — ejt.2022.855.2023
- • Silhouette: PhyloPic — Kanchi Nanjo · CC0 1.0 (Related taxon silhouette — Pyrocoelia discicollis)
Recorded dimensions are widely cited representative estimates from public literature and may vary by study or specimen.