What is Firefly?
{{about||the TV series|Firefly (TV series)|the [[Owl City]] song|Fireflies (song)}} {{Taxobox | name = Fireflies | image = Lampyris noctiluca.jpg | image_width = 250px | image_caption = ''[[Lampyris noctiluca]]'' | regnum = [[Animal]]ia | phylum = [[Arthropod]]a | classis = [[Insect]]a | ordo = [[beetle|Coleoptera]] | subordo = [[Polyphaga]] | infraordo = [[Elateriformia]] | superfamilia = [[Elateroidea]] | familia = '''Lampyridae''' }} [[Image:Firefly composite.jpg|thumb|230px|Firefly (species unknown) captured in eastern Canada - the top picture is taken with a flash, the bottom only with the self-emitted light.]] '''Fireflies''' are a [[family (biology)|family]] of [[beetle]]s called the '''Lampyridae'''. These beetles are special in that most of them have [[bioluminescence]], the ability to produce [[light]]. They are sometimes called '''fireworms''', '''firebugs''', '''firebeetles''', '''glowflies''', '''glow-worms''', '''glowbugs''', '''glowbeetles''', '''lightning flies''', '''lightning worms''', '''lightning bugs''', '''lightning beetles''' or '''forest stars''' or simply '''lightflies''', '''lightworms''', '''lightbugs''' or '''lightbeetles'''. There are about 2000 different [[species]], most of which are [[nocturnal]]. Adults use flashes of light to attract [[mate]]s. Also, firefly [[larvae]] flash their lights to warn [[predator]]s that they are not a tasty meal. Many predators do not like the taste of firefly larvae. == Body == A firefly is an insect, so it has an [[exoskeleton]] and three body parts. Much like an annual cicada, they are usually soft-bodied, often with the [[elytra]] (front wings) more leathery than in other beetles. A firefly may be brown or black with yellow and red marks. == Function == All fireflies glow as larvae. Bioluminescence serves a different function in lampyrid larvae than it does in adults. It appears to be a warning signal to [[predator]]s, since many firefly larvae contain [[chemical]]s that are distasteful or [[toxic]]. Light in adult beetles was originally th