Talk:Firefly

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think this article just makes A class. Has a good amount of info but would be better if it was ordered into more subsections with small rewrites for clarity. Would benefit from a small section on the molecular biology of light production. Otherwise good though. Goldfinger820 22:29, 21 November 2006 (UTC)

Contents

[edit] Life Span

What is the life span of a firefly ranging from? In novels/movies (Chinese/Asian), it has been depicted that Fireflies have really short life spans and would usually die soon after "glowing"

[edit] Request for sources...

The following facts have been added:

  • "Unlike a light bulb, all of a firefly's light is used as light, none as heat.A light bulb is only 50% light and 50% heat."

This is done via a chemical reaction, but it will still generate some heat, I think.

  • ",and 136 of them can light up. "

Again, just need a source. I suspect more than 136 can light up.

Thanks. Wikibofh 15:54, 14 October 2005 (UTC)

there are more then one kind of lightning bug, Photinus pyralis is the one I am more familiar with. Perhaps the thing on the side should be removed and have it's own page

[edit] Going to disambigation

I believe that this age hould go to disambgation due to items such as the TV show Firefly.

  • Agree Fosnez 08:43, 4 January 2006 (UTC)
  • Agree Gceomer 01:42, 21 May 2006 (UTC) I think you are underestimating the number of people looking for Firefly the show. There is no reason why this should not immediately go to disambigation.
  • We already have the DAB link at the top, and I think this is the most common usage. I'd prefer to keep it the way it is. Wikibofh(talk) 14:03, 4 January 2006 (UTC)
  • Disagree Scarlet 14:30, 13 September 2006 (UTC) That's silly, the TV show was named after the creature, thus it has a lesser claim to the name. I'm a fan and have seen every episode more than once, but it was hardly a huge force in human development. After all, it lasted only a season because so few people watched it. It was a hit for a short amount of time for a narrow audience. This creature has existed for millions of years, has been watched at some point by almost every human on earth and is beatiful enough to have everything on the disambiguation list named after it, you just can't compare them.
  • Disagree Per above two. --Planetary 03:35, 13 October 2006 (UTC)
  • Disagree and I typed in "firefly" looking for the show - see "dab" below. ENeville 01:03, 5 November 2006 (UTC)
  • Disagree Per much the same arguments made by Scarlet.--Auger Martel 09:57, 13 December 2006 (UTC)
  • Disagree What Scarlet said makes total sense. Jhml 16:37, 5 January 2007 (UTC)

[edit] fireflies

But where do they live?

[edit] Evolution of light

I have heard counter evolutionarry calims regarding these creatures. Such as :

  • their ligh being a way to attract predator ,even when hey are not toxic.
  • A wasste of energy.
  • They do not need it for sight or communication(coudl've used chemicals that are less fleshy and more conservative in energy)

Can any one help me debunk these calims?--Procrastinating@talk2me 17:49, 28 January 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Colloquial Terms

Anyone know the common names? I've heard that the Southern US says lightning bugs, and Northern US says fire flies. Any one heard something similar?

Zidel333 21:17, 8 February 2006 (UTC)

I grew up in the south and always heard "lightning bug" except from a few people - all of them adults who had moved in from the north.

Plus, the common name "firefly" doesn't allow for Twain's famous line about the almost right word to work. teucer 20:01, 22 February 2006 (UTC)


LOL. Very clever -- we now know what common name reigns supreme. :)

Zidel333 06:12, 23 February 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Species in picture

Whoever IDed the picture, are you SURE that's the real species? If you search for "Lampyris noctiluca" in google images, you get black glow worms that don't look all that much like the one on the picture. Are they in different instars or something? I don't know, I'm just throwing it out there. --TheAlphaWolf 01:30, 11 March 2006 (UTC)

Hello, I made this photo just in front of my house in Maxdorf, Germany. It is quite sure that the identification is correct, for there are only three species of Lampyridae in Germany. The other two species are smaller, moreover the female of Lamprohiza splendidula has small wings and Phosphaenus hemipterus does rarely glow. The color might be partial an artifact of the photographic technique: I used a long exposure time (10 sec.) with brightening the scene by waving a torch for a few seconds. The yellow light might have caused a color cast, as you can see in comparison with a daylight picture like this. --89.56.221.135 21:38, 29 March 2006 (UTC) (de:User:Wofl)
The picture is of a larva, not an adult, right? Lunch 04:31, 27 April 2006 (UTC)

It is definitely an adult female Lampyris noctiluca. Actually, I think it would be better to have a photo of a true firefly here, that is, one that glows while flying. L.noctiluca males do not glow significantly, so are more usually referred to as glowworms. Robin Scagell 11:22, 22 December 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Fireflies

4/15/06 Tonight I watched fireflies in my back yard do something I have never seen before. I don't know for sure how many fireflies were in the yard, but I have never seen them flash like this before. They were flashing in a very accelerated fashion. Usually they flash in a sedated manner, but these were going crazy. Has anyone seen something like this before? I also don't remember them being out at this time of year before. Email me at jdwjr54@yahoo.com

do they reside in all 50 states??--65.185.185.51 00:16, 11 June 2006 (UTC)

[edit] page movie

I think this page should be moved to Firefly (insect) and that the Firefly (disambiguation) page should be just Firefly. Seeing as how the Firefly tv show has gained in popularity, most people searching for Firefly are actually looking for the tv show, not the insect... -Xornok 04:01, 13 June 2006 (UTC)

That's ridiculous. The show, awesome as it was, was named after the insect, not the other way around. —Keenan Pepper 04:13, 13 June 2006 (UTC)
well duh. but still, more people are searching for the show then the insect... and why should they have to go here, then go to the disambiguation page then the series page... when you type in a generic term like Firefly you should first go to the disambiguation page then go the page you want... -Xornok 04:44, 13 June 2006 (UTC)
  • I'm with Keenan. The insect is far more common and more well known than the show or the 22 other items on the disambiguation page. Wikibofh(talk) 05:11, 13 June 2006 (UTC)
but you have no way for certain to know that when people look up firefly, that they want the insect. it would be easier to just switch the pages around... -Xornok 05:36, 13 June 2006 (UTC)
IMO this is a case that falls under the Wikipedia:Disambiguation#Primary topic guideline - the family of beetles is by far the most generally recognized and prominent thing called "firefly", with the rest being relatively minor subjects by comparison. And I, too, am a fan of the series so this isn't personal bias speaking. Bryan 23:54, 13 June 2006 (UTC)
  • We don't have to be certain, we make an educated guess, and so far everyone (except Xornok) agrees that the beetle is the more likely case. Take the example given in Bryan's link. Should Rome not point to the city because people interested in the popular TV show might have to click two extra links? Wikibofh(talk) 03:39, 14 June 2006 (UTC)
  • I know it seems like we're beating this to death, but shows like Scrubs and Entourage immediately go to disambiguation even though the nouns are more generally recognized. The insect may be more well known in a general sense, but more people are looking for information on the show when they come to the site. Firefly has a massive fan base (millions) and I would not consider this "relatively minor". The reason people keep bringing it up is because they don't think Wikibofh realistically understands the popularity of the show. The fanbase of the show Rome is extremely small when compared to Firefly, and the town of Rome is also much more popular than the firefly insect. Oz is much more popular as the fictional town in the Wizard of Oz than a TV show, but even it goes to disambiguation first. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 70.240.107.105 (talk • contribs).
  • I'm a massive fan of the TV show, but I agree that though there's a significant fanbase for it, especially as represented on Wikipedia, it's not enough to reverse the two. I'm going to add the TV show to the dab link at the top of the article page (it's only been 2 days, but there doesn't seem to be dissent or reason for it, as it's only a small phrase), so it's the same thing in the eyes of someone looking for Joss Whedon's show as if Firefly was a dab page only. (Edit: Ah, looks like you beat me to it. :) TransUtopian 10:09, 15 July 2006 (UTC)

[edit] can fireflies overwinter in warmer climates?

As far as I know there are no fireflies in warm dry areas (like on the west coast of the united states). Is this because fireflies prefer more humid climates or is temperature a factor?

[edit] dab

Would For the TV show, see Firefly. For other uses, see Firefly (disambiguation). be acceptable? I think there's sufficient people looking for the TV show where saving a click wouldn't be bad, as long as y'all don't mind. TransUtopian 14:54, 13 July 2006 (UTC)

I don't know that I have an opinion either way yet, but I do have a comment. The TV show had about 3 to 4 million viewers. See for instance [1]. The movie only broke even on its budget, about $40 million (worldwide). That's about 5 or 6 million in ticket sales? Repeat views by diehard fans would bring that number down. On the other hand, there's half a billion English speakers worldwide, right? Certainly, though, Firefly fans are over-represented among Wikipedia users. Lunch 19:20, 13 July 2006 (UTC)
I think that last sentence is key. :) Yeah, I'm not claiming it's as popular as Doctor Who or X-Files at its height, but a significant number searching here are looking for the TV show. TransUtopian 00:53, 14 July 2006 (UTC)
    • I don't have a problem with that dab wording and linking. Wikibofh(talk) 19:41, 13 July 2006 (UTC)
I typed in "firefly" looking for the TV show, and expected to get a page on the insect with a dab link to a disambiguation page. I was actually surprised to see two the dab links. I came here to the Talk page to suggest removing the additional link. After reading the comments here I feel like being accepting of it, but when I think about the likely fact that in a few years there will be another cultural phenomenon known as "firefly", I believe that wise counsel advises having only the one dab link, lest we esablish a norm of sub-primary topics for disambiguation and the inevitable attending debates about selecting one. ENeville 00:59, 5 November 2006 (UTC)
Opps, I made a revert not seeing this debate, but it seems the consensus backs me up. Per above, both are acceptable. -b 19:14, 17 November 2006 (UTC)
I was on the verge of removing the second disambig too, but seeing as it has been discussed I think I'll just leave well enough alone. I will add a comment for future editors to see Talk before changing, though. —INTRIGUEBLUE (talk|contribs) 09:09, 3 December 2006 (UTC)
I've removed the second dab-link because there is enough of other users who feel it is inapropriate, and it is breaking with the MoS. Just look at the dab-page for firefly to see all the things that are named so. I absolutely love the show, and infact I came to the article looking for it (expecting to have to go to a dab-page), but on wikipedia we have to put or own personal preferences below what is right for the encyclopedia. Oskar 16:50, 16 February 2007 (UTC)
It had been readded, and I just removed it again. It's inappropriate to have a link to another article and then to the disambig page, when the article is already on the disambig page. Readers searching for the show will find it easily enough; if anyone thinks the show should be considered the primary use of "firefly" and therefore moved here, it should be taken up at requested moves.--Cúchullain t/c 05:24, 17 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] The Onion

This article was mentioned in the Wednesday 26th July 2006 edition of The Onion.

Actually, judging by the fact that they italicized the word "Firefly" in the article, I suspect they were referring to the Firefly (TV series) article. Alethiareg 03:45, 15 August 2006 (UTC)

[edit] External Links

Just thought I'd explain some changes I made in the External Links section, to avoid any confusion. I deleted "Facts about Lampyridae" because it contained no information that the Wikipedia article didn't already have, and it contributed no further references, etc. Second, I removed "Nitric oxide and firefly flashing" because it probably fits better in the luciferase article, as the editor who contributed it in this article suggested. I will be adding that link to the luciferase article in a bit here. Finally, I renamed the "Lighning bugs" link to "Bioluminescence in insects," which I think better describes the link. Thanks all, --Jhml 20:04, 8 August 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Rarity of the Firefly

I've been travelling aournd the world for years and I have never seen a firefly in my life. How rare are they? 194.46.232.25 20:37, 8 September 2006 (UTC)

I guess it depends where and when you look. The adults of all the species are seasonal, of course, so you may just be in the right place at the wrong time. When in the right place and the right time, there may be fireflies there and you wouldn't even know - some are diurnal and completely lack the ability to light up. The most common firefly in my home area is Ellychnia corrusca, one of those that flies during the day and lacks light organs; most people here don't even know we have fireflies because of that! The time of night you're looking for them during makes a difference too. Some species only flash at dusk, some later, and some flash in shadows during the day! Short answer: I think they're more common that what people might initially think. Jhml 16:48, 5 January 2007 (UTC)

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