Photinini

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

will
Adult Photinus sp. specimens Cody Hough collection
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Arthropoda Class: Insecta Infraclass: Neoptera Superorder: Endopterygota Order: Coleoptera Suborder: Polyphaga Infraorder: Elateriformia Superfamily: Elateroidea Family: Lampyridae Subfamily: Lampyrinae Tribe: Photinini
Genera
Many, including: Ellychnia Lamprohiza Lucidota Phausis Phosphaenus Phosphaenopterus Photinus - rover fireflies Pyropyga

The Photinini are a large tribe of fireflies in the subfamily Lampyrinae. Photinus pyralis is famous in biotechnology for its luciferase gene. This is sometimes employed as a marker gene; genetically modified organisms which contain it start to glow like the firefly when brought in contact with luciferin-containing medium. Firefly luciferases differ slightly between taxa, resulting in differently-colored light and other properties, and in most cases where "firefly luciferase" is used in some application or study, it is the specific luciferase of P. pyralis

The delimitation and relationships of the many genera are often insufficiently resolved. For example, Lamprohiza and Phausis are so closely related that as presently delimited they are apparently paraphyletic in respect to each other.