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A firefly discovered in Delaware might soon be protected under the federal Endangered Species Act

The Bethany Beach firefly - which was discovered in Delaware in 1949 - could end up being listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
The Bethany Beach firefly - which was discovered in Delaware in 1949 - could end up being listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing to list the Bethany Beach firefly as threatened under the federal Endangered Species Act.

The Bethany Beach firefly is a nocturnal beetle found in coastal Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia, and named for the Delaware coastal town where it was discovered in 1949.

The firefly is less than half an inch long with a black marking on its head and a distinctive flash pattern.

Julie Slacum is the species lead for the Bethany Beach firefly at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Chesapeake Bay field office. She explains how you can identify a Bethany Beach firefly.

"Most people aren't going to see them when they go to the beach unless they're hiking back behind the dunes, but what they'll see is essentially a lightning bug that has a green flash, the difference in what we would see in our backyards in this area where it's a yellow flash," said Slacum.

It’s usually found in low-lying freshwater marsh areas near coastal dunes within 500 meters of the Atlantic shoreline - on both state and federal lands

The biggest threats to the firefly include rising sea levels, development, light pollution, recreation, grazing by ponies, pesticides, and invasive plant species.

Slacum explains how the protections would work.

"So essentially any project or action that would occur on those lands, the state or the federal agency would come to us to see if their project would have any impact on the species, and then we would try to work with them to minimize impacts and just make sure that their project wouldn't result in the extinction of the species as a whole," said Slacum.

Slacum adds listing the species brings additional attention and partners to help it recover over time.

This would be the first firefly to receive federal attention if listed.

Joe brings over 20 years of experience in news and radio to Delaware Public Media and the All Things Considered host position. He joined DPM in November 2019 as a reporter and fill-in ATC host after six years as a reporter and anchor at commercial radio stations in New Castle and Sussex Counties.