Scientists discovered a new species of firefly in Mexico City. Can you help name it?

A caller taxon of firefly has been discovered successful Chapultepec Forest, and residents of Mexico City and beyond are being asked to assistance springiness it a name.

The find emerged from the 2024 BioBlitz, a section technological and national reflection task successful Chapultepec Forest — the humanities and much ecologically focused sanction for the monumental greenish abstraction successful the nation’s superior that has been developed into Chapultepec Park.

Researchers confirmed that specimens from the genus Photinus collected successful the wood did not lucifer immoderate known species.

With this addition, announced past week by officials from Mexico City’s Environment Ministry (Sedema), the superior present counts 17 firefly taxon — among the 300 oregon truthful successful each of Mexico.

To people the discovery, the metropolis has launched a nationalist ballot to determine the insect’s technological name. People tin formed ballots done Sunday, Oct. 5 connected the Plaza Pública platform.

The sanction options gully from the legacies of 5 Mexican women who “illuminated the country’s past with their wisdom, spot and legacy,” arsenic noted by Sedema.

The ballot “Mexican Women Who Enlighten Us” consists of:

• Irene Elena Motts Beal: A 20th-century pioneer successful the teaching of biology who created earthy subject textbooks.
• Magdalena Cervantes Castañeda: An Indigenous teacher with a immense cognition of medicinal plants and a teaching methodology that encourages her students to go teachers.
• Malinalli Tenepal: A enslaved successful the aboriginal 1500s whose endowment for languages enabled her to beryllium a translator and mediator betwixt the Mesoamerican peoples and Hernán Cortés.
• María Sabina: A well-known healer successful the aboriginal 20th period with a heavy cognition of accepted medicine.
• Rosario Castellanos: One of the astir important Mexican poets and essayists of the 20th century.

The sanction of the victor volition beryllium adapted successful the authoritative taxon sanction of the insect, specified arsenic Photinus irenemottsae or Photinus malinalliae.

In 2024, a radical of scientists and citizens collected specimens of fireflies successful Chapultepec, aboriginal discovering that 1 of the fluorescent bugs was a wholly caller species. (Bosque de Chapultepec)

In 2023, astronomer and subject communicator Julieta Fierro was chosen to springiness her sanction to a taxon of firefly, Pyropyga julietafierroae.

Mexico ranks 2nd successful the satellite for firefly diversity, with astir 300 documented species, though 8 successful 10 Mexicans nether 25 person reportedly ne'er seen a firefly. 

Fireflies look mounting threats crossed the country. Researchers pass that populations person been falling owed to clime change, nonaccomplishment of humidity successful soils, pesticide usage and situation destruction. Additionally, airy contamination is simply a increasing interest successful municipality zones, arsenic it specifically disrupts firefly mating signals.

Chapultepec Forest remains 1 of the past refuges successful the superior wherever summertime rains bring disposable swarms of bioluminescent beetles — luciérnaga in Spanish, meaning firefly oregon lightning bug successful English —  signaling ecosystem health.

Scientists accent that protecting firefly habitats successful Chapultepec Park and the nation’s different firefly hotspots — specified arsenic areas successful the states of Tlaxcala, Michoacán and Puebla — is the astir effectual mode to guarantee fireflies proceed to illuminate Mexico’s nights.

For much accusation astir the find and the vote, visit this Sedema website.

With reports from Animal Politico, Excélsior and El Sol de México