Firefly Sightings
- Catching fireflies is an important part of summer.
- Help us track where people are seeing fireflies in their backyard.
- Submit your sightings on the map and connect with others who spotted fireflies in your area.
Submit Your sightings
Common Names for Fireflies
A firefly by any other name would still glow as brightly. But fireflies are a numerous and prolific species living all over the world, and they’re well-known in hundreds of different cultures. Because of this, they’re called by many common names. Here are just a few of the many names of fireflies.
WE NEED YOUR HELP! Do you have a spoken or written word used for firefly or lightning bug in one of the many languages around the world? Please let us know! A large majority of the names listed below have been sent to us from visitors around the world.
Firefly
Firefly Beetle
Glow Worm - British word, sometimes used to refer to firefly
larvae.
Glow Fly
Moon Bug
Lightning Bug
Golden Sparkler
Hotaru - The Japanese word for firefly.
Big Dipper
Blinkie - Jamaican term.
Minna-Minni - This is a Malayalam word for firefly. Malayalam
(ma-la-yaa-lam) is the official language of the state of Kerala in India.
Kerala is situated in the western peninsular tip of southern India.
Luciérnaga - The Spanish (spoken) word for firefly.
Cucubanos - Spanish (spoken) word used in Caribbean islands such as Puerto Rico and Cuba.
Ipurtargi - Basque language (Spoken in Spain & France)
Vaga-Lume - Portuguese word for firefly.
Kelip-Kelip - (congregating firefly) in the Malay language
in Malaysia.
Kunang-Kunang - (mostly for solitary firefly) or api-api
in the Malay language in Malaysia.
Minnaminungu - 'Malayalam' language spoken in the state of 'Kerala' in India.
Kalamadiriya - Sinhala language of Sri Lanka
Leuchtkäfer - German
Glühwurm - German (Term for the firefly larvae (similar
to Glow Worm)
Glühwürmchen - German (Cuter term that mostly children
would use.)
Luciole - French
светлячок - Russian
Glimworm: - Dutch
Lucciola: - Italian
ホタル Japanese
개똥벌레 Korean
螢火蟲 Chinese (traditional)
萤火虫 Chinese (simplified)
Hing Hoy - The vernacular name for fireflies in Thai language
גחלילית of Gakhlilit - Hebrew word for firefly
Vuurvliegie - Afrikaans (a cross between Dutch and English)
Tulikärpänen - Finnish
Alitaptap - Tagalog language (Also known as Filipino. Spoken in the Philippines.)
Got a unique name for fireflies, or know their name in another language? Tell us about it! Submit it here, and we’ll put it up on our site.
Fun Fact:Aztecs
The Aztecs used the name for firefly metaphorically, meaning a spark of knowledge in a world of ignorance or darkness
Firefly Myth:Chinese
The chinese thought that twinkling little beetles came from when you burned grass.
Fun Fact:American Indians
Native American Indians collected fireflies and smeared them as decorations on their faces and chest.
Firefly Myth:Europeans
An old european legend warned that if a lightning bug flew in the window, someone was going to die.
Share Your Firefly Story
This is the place to tell us how you brought fireflies back in your yard. | More
How to Help Fireflies
There are a few things you could do to help to restore fireflies in your backyard | More