Fireflies endangered

By Staff Reports

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Ordinarily we might scoff at a symposium on the "Diversity and Conservation of Fireflies" as another academic boondoggle. But this gathering was designed to address a serious problem.

The July symposium drew more than 100 entomolo-gists and biologists from around the world to Thailand, where the firefly population has dropped alarmingly in recent years. While the evidence of a decline in fireflies is entirely anecdotal, scientists in many countries are hearing the same stories.

Fireflies -- actually beetles, not flies -- consist of some 2,000 different species on every continent except Antarctica, including 200 species native to North America. U.S. scientists say that some of those species have been dwindling for years.

While no single factor can account for that, the overall reason is no mystery. People are encroaching on the firefly's natural habitat.

Fireflies like to make their homes in meadows, fields and the edges of creeks and ponds, but those areas are steadily being decimated by suburban sprawl. The meadows and fields have been turned into parking lots and strip malls, which make unfriendly terrain for the firefly.

The spread of artificial lights also could be a culprit, disrupting the intricate mating behavior that gives fireflies their name. Light flashes are used by males to attract mates and signal danger, and the insects can become disoriented by light pollution.

Scientists have a difficult time tracking firefly populations, considering that the firefly's adult life span is just one to three weeks and the insects are so widespread. But experts now are asking volunteers to help through Web sites such as Citizen Firefly Survey in Boston, which encourages residents to report changes in their neighborhood firefly populations.

Scientists regard fireflies as a "canary in the coal mine." Their decline could signal bigger problems ahead in the world ecosystem.

But we also would lament the loss of fireflies for sentimental reasons. We shouldn't permit this harmless insect that brings joy to people around the world to become a victim of mankind's carelessness.