Luciola cruciata
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
Nipponoluciola cruciata, known as "genji-botaru" (ゲンジボタル) in Japanese, is a species of firefly found in Japan. Its habitat is small ditches and streams, and its larvae are aquatic. It was formerly known as Luciola cruciata but was revised taxonomically in 2022.
This species was described by Victor Motschulsky in 1854. The type locality is Japan, but it was incorrectly given as Java. Its Japanese name, "genji-botaru", may derive from The Tale of Genji, an 11th-century Japanese novel, or it may derive from the Genji clan, which won the 12th-century Genpei War. (Another, smaller firefly species, Aquatica lateralis, has the Japanese common name "heike-botaru", a possible reference to the Heike clan, the losers in the Genpei War).
The male is 10.5–16.5 mm (0.41–0.65 in) long and 3.0–5.0 mm (0.12–0.20 in) wide. The female is larger, 15.0–18.6 mm (0.59–0.73 in) long and 5.0–6.0 mm (0.20–0.24 in) wide. The pronotum is reddish pink, with a central marking. The black elytra are elongate. In the male, the venter is brown and pale yellow, and in the female, it is brown, yellow and reddish pink. The male's luminous organ occupies its sixth ventrite. The antennae... Wikipedia →
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More parks will be added in future updates.
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Genji Firefly sighting in Tokyo on a given day, based on 18 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 509th most-seen of the 1013 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Genji Firefly in Tokyo on a given day, against under 5% in July to May, the lowest months.
Among the best
Of the 2 cities where we can rate Genji Firefly sightings, Tokyo ranks 2nd at under 5%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Osaka (Japan, under 5%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Genji Firefly is recorded against all the insects logged in Tokyo (18 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
