---
title: "Common Eastern Firefly"
description: "Photinus pyralis — Insects & spiders. Photinus pyralis, also known by the common names the common eastern firefly or big dipper firefly, and sometimes called a \"lightning bug\", is a species of flying beetle."
canonical: https://animalchecklist.com/animal/common-eastern-firefly
last_updated: 2026-09-20
---

# Common Eastern Firefly

> Photinus pyralis — Insects & spiders. Photinus pyralis, also known by the common names the common eastern firefly or big dipper firefly, and sometimes called a "lightning bug", is a species of flying beetle.

- Scientific name: *Photinus pyralis*
- Category: `insects` (Insects & spiders)
- Habitats: unknown
- iNaturalist observations: 39253
- Wikidata: [Q137821](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q137821)
- iNaturalist taxon: [129350](https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/129350)

## Names

- en: Common Eastern Firefly

## Countries with the most observations

US (16133), CA (197), MX (20)

## Summary

Photinus pyralis, also known by the common names the common eastern firefly or big dipper firefly, and sometimes called a "lightning bug", is a species of flying beetle. An organ on its abdomen is responsible for its light production. It is the most common species of firefly in North America and is typically found east of the Rocky Mountains. Photinus fireflies are often confused with fireflies of the similar-sounding genus, Photuris, which are also found in North America.

These fireflies are most noticeable around twilight in the spring and summer months. The common name, big dipper firefly, is due to the characteristic…

Text: Wikipedia (en), CC BY-SA 4.0 — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photinus_pyralis

## Photo

![Common Eastern Firefly](https://animalchecklist.com/img/animals/common-eastern-firefly/medium.jpg)

Photo: C. · CC0 · inaturalist — https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/130202036

## Machine access

`GET https://animalchecklist.com/api/v1/animals/common-eastern-firefly?lang=en` — see [openapi.json](https://animalchecklist.com/openapi.json).