Scientists have compiled the first comprehensive checklist of India’s fireflies, documenting 92 species across 27 genera
More than 60% of the recorded species are endemic to India, highlighting the country’s unique insect diversity
The Western Ghats emerged as the region with the highest occurrence of fireflies
Researchers warn that light pollution, habitat loss and pesticides are contributing to the decline of firefly populations
Researchers have compiled the first comprehensive checklist of fireflies recorded in India, documenting 92 species, more than 60 per cent of which are endemic to the country.
The study, published in the journal Zootaxa, brings together more than two centuries of scientific records and provides the most complete overview yet of firefly diversity in India.
Scientists say the checklist offers a crucial baseline for understanding how these glowing insects are distributed across the country and for guiding future conservation efforts.
The checklist is based on an extensive review of scientific literature published between 1881 and October 2025.
Parvez, a PhD scholar at the University of Calcutta and lead author of the study, said the work was needed because India lacked a consolidated record of its firefly species despite centuries of scattered documentation.
Despite more than 260 years of scattered scientific records, no comprehensive checklist of Indian fireflies had ever been compiled, he said. “Our study brings together records from 1758 to 2025, documenting 92 species across 27 genera, nearly 60 per cent of which are endemic to the country.”
Many of the species were originally described in the 19th century and have not been revisited using modern taxonomic methods, he added.
According to the researchers, more than 50 species have not been recorded again in India since their original descriptions, leaving significant gaps in knowledge about the country’s firefly diversity.
The study found that the Luciolinae subfamily dominates India’s firefly fauna, with 37 species, followed by Ototretinae with 31 species, Lampyrinae with 17 species and Cyphonocerinae with a single species.
Luciolinae and Ototretinae were identified as the most diverse subfamilies, each containing 11 genera of fireflies.
Most of the species recorded in the checklist have been found in more than one Indian state, suggesting a wider geographical spread for many species. Regionally, the Western Ghats recorded the highest occurrence of fireflies, accounting for around 25.33 per cent of species documented in the checklist.
This was followed by the north-east and Gangetic plains, each accounting for about 22.66 per cent, while the coastal regions and the Deccan Peninsula accounted for 17.33 per cent and 13.33 per cent respectively.
The Trans-Himalayan and Himalayan regions recorded only 1.33 per cent each, while the island regions accounted for 2.66 per cent.
No firefly species have yet been recorded in India’s desert and semi-arid zones, according to the study.
Despite their ecological importance and widespread cultural appeal, no firefly species from India has yet been assessed for the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List, nor are they protected under the Wildlife (Protection) Amendment Act, 2022.
Researchers say the insects face multiple threats, including light pollution, agricultural chemicals, habitat destruction and land-use change.
Parvez said research on fireflies in India remains limited.
“When I started in 2021, there was very little information available and almost no experts working on the subject in the country,” he said.
He also pointed to the difficulty of identifying species due to the lack of museum specimens that could be used for comparison.
The study warns that many firefly species may already be declining. Of the 92 species recorded so far, we do not know exactly whether many of them still exist in the wild because there is no recent evidence of their presence, Parvez said.
The decline may be driven by several factors, including artificial night lighting, the use of chemical pollutants in agricultural fields, tree cutting and logging, and changes in land use, all of which affect firefly survival.
The researchers say habitat disturbance is already affecting firefly populations in several urban and semi-urban landscapes.
Parvez cited observations from parts of Bengaluru near Hebbal, where a species known as Asymmetricata humeralis was once recorded in large numbers in nearby forested areas. However, he said increasing disturbance — including the clearing of shrubs, waste dumping and construction — has led to a noticeable decline in their numbers between 2021 and 2025.
Without detailed ecological studies and monitoring, scientists warn that fireflies could disappear from many semi-urban areas.
Researchers say the newly compiled checklist provides an important starting point for future research.
The information was compiled from nearly 300 scientific publications, offering the first systematic baseline for studying and conserving fireflies in India.
The authors say there is now an urgent need for nationwide studies to better understand the insects’ ecology and population trends.
They also call for national and international collaborations to assess the conservation status of lesser-known species.
“To ensure the preservation of firefly habitats, it is crucial to conduct monitoring studies to determine their abundance,” the researchers said.
Such information could help establish Firefly Heritage Sites, Firefly Sanctuaries or Firefly Bioparks, allowing these insects to be protected within their natural habitats, the study concluded.