Phosphaenus

Phosphaenus
Scientific classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Coleoptera
Suborder: Polyphaga
Infraorder: Elateriformia
Family: Lampyridae
Subfamily: Lampyrinae
Tribe: Photinini
Genus: Phosphaenus
Fourcroy, 1785
Species:
P. hemipterus
Binomial name
Phosphaenus hemipterus
(Geoffroy, 1762)

Phosphaenus hemipterus, the short-winged firefly or lesser glow worm, is a beetle in the monotypic genus Phosphaenus and the family Lampyridae. It is found in the Mediterranean, in Central Europe, west to the Atlantic Ocean and north to the edge of Scandinavia and in England. In North America, the species has been introduced. It inhabits meadows, floodplains, forest edges, and dry slopes, but also parks and gardens. In Britain, this species is fairly rare compared to the common glow-worm (Lampyris noctiluca).