IUCN COMMISSION GROUP

IUCN SSC Firefly Specialist Group

Overview and description

Description:

Fireflies (Coleoptera: Lampyridae) are among the most charismatic insects on Earth. The mission of our IUCN SSC Firefly Specialist Group is to identify and work to conserve threatened firefly species ...

Dr Sara LEWIS

Co-Chair

Dr Wan Faridah Akmal JUSOH

Co-Chair

Wan is an entomologist and Senior Lecturer at Monash University Malaysia. She earned her PhD in 2015 from Universiti Putra Malaysia with a-3-year research training in biology at University of Turku, Finland. She started studying fireflies in 2006 for her final year undergraduate thesis project. Initially, her main interest was in the ecology of fireflies in the mangroves of Malaysia. She then expanded her research interests to become a taxonomist and systematist, primarily on fireflies in Southeast Asia and the Australopacific region.

Mr Vor YIU

Red List Authority Coordinator

More about the Specialist Group

The Firefly Specialist Group (FSG) envisions: (1) compilation and publication of a global review of firefly extinction threats; (2) complete data compilation (extent of occurrence (EOO), area of occupancy (AOO), population size, risk factors) in preparation for Red List assessment for fireflies in certain regions (North America, others); (3) increased communication and educational initiatives through the newly announced World Firefly Day, the Selangor Declaration ...

The mission of our IUCN SSC Firefly Specialist Group is to identify and work to conserve threatened firefly species around the world. Specific goals are to:

assess Red List status for 2000+ firefly species;
prioritize key threats and conservation issues across geographic regions;
identify knowledge gaps for future biodiversity research; and
advocate for threatened species at regional and global levels.

Specialist Group work

We aim to compile existing knowledge for 2000 lampyrid species worldwide on their geographic range and population size, identify major extinction threats and risk factors, increase public knowledge concerning firefly diversity, ecology and behaviour, and promote long-term conservation efforts.