Lucidota atra
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~50%
Lucidota atra, the woodland lucy or black firefly, is a diurnal species of firefly — a member of the Lampyridae family of beetles (order Coleoptera). Lucidota atra are found in eastern North America. Their range extends west to Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Texas and south to Mexico.
Adult body length is 9 to 12 mm (0.35 to 0.47 in). This firefly has segmented, conspicuous, black antennae that are serrate, with males having larger antennae. The pronotum extends over the head and is usually red and yellow with a medial black stripe or patch, but may be dark overall in some individuals. The compound eyes are smaller than those of nocturnal species like Photinus pyralis. The elytra are black or brown-black and have granulated texture. The light organ is greatly reduced and difficult to discern in the adult.
This is a firefly that flies actively in daylight. Males fly low, about one to six feet (0.30 to 1.83 m) from the ground, through forests in midday, seeking females, which are often perched on low vegetation. Most are seen in the late morning to early afternoon. Male Lucidota atra can identify female mating partners by sensing the... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Isle Royale National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Cape Breton Highlands National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 3 | Acadia National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Great Smoky Mountains National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Shenandoah National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Point Pelee National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Boston | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Montreal | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 3 | Minneapolis [Saint Paul] | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Toronto | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 5 | Chicago | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Washington | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | New York City | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Baltimore | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Philadelphia | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Black Firefly sighting in Great Smoky Mountains National Park on a given day, based on 31 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 168th most-seen of the 822 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Black Firefly in Great Smoky Mountains National Park on a given day, against under 5% in August to April, the lowest months.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Black Firefly sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
4th of 6
Of the 6 parks where we can rate Black Firefly sightings, Great Smoky Mountains National Park ranks 4th at about 10%. The best odds are in Isle Royale National Park (United States, about 20%), Cape Breton Highlands National Park (Canada, about 10%) and Acadia National Park (United States, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Black Firefly is recorded against all the insects logged in Great Smoky Mountains National Park (31 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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.
