RT Journal Article
T1 Quick spreading of populations of an exotic firefly throughout Spain and their recent arrival in the French Pyrenees
A1 Koken, Marcel
A1 Guzmán Álvarez, José Ramón
A1 Gil Tapetado, Diego
A1 Romo Bedate, Miguel Angel
A1 Laurent, Geneviève
A1 Rubio, Lucas Ezequiel
A1 Rovira Comas, Segimon
A1 Wolffler, Nicole
A1 Verfaillie, Fabien
A1 De Cock, Raphaël
AB In August 2018, a firefly (Coleoptera: Lampyridae) of American origin was observed in several localities in Girona (Catalonia, Spain) and was described as Photinus immigrans by Zaragoza-Caballero and Vinolas, 2018. Here, we show that this species dispersed very quickly throughout northeastern Spain and was, in 2020, observed in the French Pyrenees. The animal’s quick progress is documented, and part of its biology is described (dispersion speed, land use, phenology, identification of all life stages). An additional population was localized in Extremadura, and its special status is discussed. We were able to determine its Argentinian–Uruguayan origin and propose, therefore, to consider Photinus immigrans as a synonym of Photinus signaticollis (Blanchard, 1846) (=Photinus immigrans Zaragoza-Caballero and Viñolas, 2018, syn. nov.). Our data clearly show that at least the Catalan and French populations are spreading very quickly and are able to settle permanently if adequate ecosystems are found. The species is highly expansive and may well be invasive; our citizen science platforms are ideally suited to monitor their progress throughout Spain and France. This is important for avoiding future ecological problems with diverse native faunas, such as glow-worms, fireflies and earthworms. If no ways are found to stop the species’ progression, the animals will quite probably invade substantial areas of France, Spain and the rest of Europe in the years to come.
PB MDPI
SN Electronic: 2075-4450
YR 2022
FD 2022-01-29
LK https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/71759
UL https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/71759
LA eng
DS Docta Complutense
RD 18 abr 2025