TITLE:
Male Morphological Difference in the Genji Firefly Nipponoluciola cruciata between Eastern and Western Japan
AUTHORS:
Yutaka Iguchi
KEYWORDS:
Genji Firefly, Morphological Diversity, Geographic Variation
JOURNAL NAME:
Advances in Entomology,
Vol.13 No.2,
April
28,
2025
ABSTRACT: The Genji firefly Nipponoluciola cruciata shows different flash patterns between eastern and western Japan. The geographic variation in flash patterns has also been supported by ecological and molecular phylogenetic studies. However, there are very few studies on morphological variation in this species. This study aims to explore morphological differences in males of this species and to perform allometric analysis using measurements previously published in the literature. The results indicate that males of this species exhibit different allometric patterns between eastern and western Japan. This species has been often used for tourism purposes and sometimes intentionally introduced into non-native areas. Therefore, the results demonstrate the importance of the conservation of morphological diversity as well as genetic and ecological diversity in this species.