Classification
Domain - Eukarya
Kingdom - Animalia
Phylum - Anthropoda
Class - Insecta
Order - Coleoptera
Family - Lampyridae
Genus - Photinus
Species - Photinus pyralis
Eukarya - Organisms whose cell(s) contain complex structures which are contained within a membrane. Defined by the presence of a true nucleus.
Animalia - Organisms who are multi-cellular and heterotrophic. They lack the presence of cell walls and have cells that can be organized into tissues.
Arthropoda - Characterized by having jointed limbs, a segmented body, and an exoskeleton made of chitin. This is one of the most specious phyla on the planet.
Insecta - Arthropods that posses a pair of antennae, three pairs of mouth organs, two pairs of wings, and compound eyes.
Coleoptera - Insects that posses a pair of elytra (hard outer wing coverings), and their mouth parts form two pairs of jaws for chewing. All beetles are contained in this order.
Lampyridae - A family of beetle that has an elongated
form with softer wing coverings that do not collapse at the side of the
abdomen. Many of these species are nocturnal.
Photnis - This genus is often referred to as the "Rover Fireflies." The male's light organ covers the entire ventral side of the three most posterior segments.
Photinus pyralis - The firefly that belongs to this species is also commonly referred to as The Big Dipper Firefly (because of the J shaped pattern that they often fly in) or The Common Eastern Firefly (because they most commonly reside in eastern North America); more often than not they are simply referred to as either a firefly or lightning bug. "Photinus" has Greek origins with "phot" referring to light. "Pyralis" is also of Greek origin and translates to "of fire" in English, this was given because it refers to a Greek myth about a fly that rises from fire.