ATR home to eight firefly species

Anamalai Tiger Reserve (ATR) provides a conducive habitat for nearly eight firefly species, according to a study—which is first of its kind in the state—carried out by Tamil Nadu forest department's Advanced Institute for Wildlife Conservation (Research, Training and Education) about the insect's diversity, distribution, habitat and their ecology in ATR.

- S SENTHIL KUMAR @Coimbatore

The study was carried out for a period of 10 months between May 2024 and March 2025 under the annual plan operations 2023-24 in 10 different locations within the ATR. This was to understand the assemblage of firefly species, seasonal changes in their population, environmental conditions in the lightning bug's habitats and their genetic diversity.

According to S Senbagapriya, Deputy Director of AIWC, "Eight firefly species, namely Abscondita perplexa, Ab. terminalis, Asymmetricata humeralis, Curtos sp. 1, Curtos sp. 2, Lamprigera sp.,