Sneaky elf
The sneaky elf is a small firefly from eastern North America. But here is the surprise: it cannot light up at all. It is busy in the daytime instead of at night, a flat little beetle with black wing cases.
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Fun facts
Unlike most fireflies, it has no glowing lantern on its tail.
It is active during the day, so it does not need a light to find a partner.
Its shield behind the head is mostly black with stripes.
It is easily mixed up with two very similar fireflies, but it is the most common of them in the north.
Most asked questions about Sneaky elf
?Does the sneaky elf firefly glow?
No. Unlike most fireflies, it has no light at all.
?How big is the sneaky elf firefly?
About 5 to 8 millimetres long, smaller than a fingernail.
Myth buster
Myth: All fireflies light up at night.
Truth: Not all of them. The sneaky elf has no light at all and is busy in the daytime instead.
For bug experts
- Scientific name
- Pyropyga decipiens
- Group
- Beetles
- Family
- Lampyridae
- Classification
- Insecta > Coleoptera > Lampyridae
- Lives on
- North America
- Also known as
- Sneaky elf firefly
Where the facts come from
- Pyropyga decipiens (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
- Picture by Jacy Lucier. CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons. The sticker of this bug is drawn from this picture.
If we got something wrong, sorry, we are bug fans, not a science journal. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.
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