Abundance and species composition of synchronous flashing firefly at Sungai Rembau, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia

The ecological study of synchronous firefly from the genus Pteroptyx was conducted at Sungai Rembau, Negeri Sembilan. It involved year–long sampling efforts during night time from November 2017 until October 2018. A total of 20 sampling stations were selected along 5.59 km stretch of the river with an interval ranging between 100 to 500 m. Sampling was carried out using sweeping net, randomly for one minute at each sampling station. The collected specimens were brought to the Centre of Insect Systematics UKM (CIS) for identification and reposition. A total of 1161 individuals represented by three species of firefly namely Pteroptyx tener Olivier (1148 individuals), Pteroptyx malaccae Gorham (11 individuals) and Pteroptyx asymmetria Ballantyne (2 individuals). Mostly these species were recorded on Sonneratia caseolaris . The highest percentage of firefly abundance were recorded in December 2017 (38%) while the lowest was in April 2018 (2%). Wind speed had affected significantly the firefly variation temporally while air temperature and humidity spatially affected the population of insects ( p 0.05). This study helps in the monitoring of firefly population in Sungai Rembau to ensure the survival of these species.