The survey was initiated to determine the distribution of the fireflies (especially the synchronous type) and the health of their habitat, viz. our own too. This is also one of MNS objective. While waiting for funding, MNS started sending out the survey forms to the Branches’ newsletter since March 1998. The firefly’s survival are affected by land clearance, drainage of wetlands, concrete riverbanks, pesticides, glare from lighting, and destruction of their food source. So what we do now is keep track of any change in the yearly distribution pattern. Even if you have spotted one only, the
information is still useful, eg in this survey, we know that the urban fireflies survival corresponds to the damp green areas in town.

So how can you help save the fireflies in your neighbourhood? No pesticide usage on the green sites, leave grass on the drain side or stream, eliminate glare from street lamps, garden lights or spotlights (make sure that the light is focussed down on the ground in a tight angle) and dead vegetation be left on the green sites for their food (snails, millipedes, etc) to breed.

*Fireflyer: short for firefly chaser, a person who thinks about lightning bugs

All results are mostly from 1998 actual sightings and are not hearsay. Refer to Table.
 
 1. Fireflyers: 27           From: 9 States

3. Habitats: 10
 

Garden: 7 Grass: 1

Meromictic Lake: 1 Lowland forest: 1 ontane Forest*: 1

Secondary jungle: 3 Riverine Forest: 4 Orchard/plantation: 4

Estuarine Mangrove: 2 Intertidal Mangrove: 7#

 

4. Synchronous fireflies: 8 #
 

Habitats: 5	Meromictic Lake: 1 Garden: 1	Intertidal mangroves: 4 Plantation: 1	Estuarine mangrove: 2
States: 6	Selangor (1) # Pulau Pinang (1)	Trengganu (2) Sarawak (3)	Negeri Sembilan (1) Kelantan (1)

# Not included are the 3 sightings from Kg Kuantan standard tour, only 1 site is considered from the 2 same site sightings and 1extinct site is not included.
* A surprise to find two at 7,113 feet above sea level.

5. Urban Area: 7

The urban environment still harbours the breeding ground of fireflies. These areas are near the green, damp areas, possibility with less contamination from pesticides and less glare from lighting. Eg the Taman Jaya garden area, the Bukit Damansara greeneries, etc.

6. Other flashers

• Dinoflagelletes- the luminescent spots beside the beach surf 
• Luminous mushroom and fungus
• Glow worms or firefly larvae 

7. Extinct Site

One 1980 sighting came from Kelantan — the jetty off Tumpat town where there used to be
mangrove trees, now only soggy grassland. There is a lot of wetland or mangrove clearance
nowadays, a lot of good sites which have been reported earlier are lost to land clearance.

8. So you will notice that

• The synchronous fireflies are to be found in most intertidal & estuarine mangroves
• Urban area still can support fireflies provided their habitat is intact and light free. 
• The surprise of finding 2 over 7,000 feet. 
• The sad case of land clearance leaving behind a disused land.