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Bethany Beach firefly could be the first lightning bug to be added to the federal endangered species list

The Bethany Beach firefly is in danger of dying out and becoming endangered, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said Monday.

The firefly, found in coastal areas of Delaware, Maryland and Virginia, is one of about 170 species of fireflies in the US. The species is already considered critically endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and the Fish and Wildlife Service said it is being considered for listing under the Endangered Species Act.

It is the first species of firefly to qualify for protection under the law, according to a Fish and Wildlife Service spokesperson. If the species is listed, federal agencies must ensure that their actions are not likely to endanger the Bethany Beach firefly.

There are currently more than 1,300 species listed as threatened or endangered in the U.S. under the 1973 law.

The Bethany Beach firefly isn’t the only type of firefly at risk; About 10% of firefly species in the U.S. are not doing well, Sara Lewis, author of “Silent Sparks: The Wondrous World of Fireflies,” told CBS News earlier this year. Some of the lightning bug species most vulnerable to extinction require very specific habitats to survive.

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For example, the Bethany Beach firefly lives only in swales — low-lying freshwater marshes near coastal dunes, according to the Fish and Wildlife Service. Climate change is impacting firefly habitat and according to climate models, around 76-95% of wadis could be lost to high tide flooding by 2100.

The firefly species also faces threats from development, light pollution, recreation, pony grazing, pesticide use and invasive plant species.

Light pollution is a threat to a variety of fireflies because it can prevent male and female fireflies from finding each other so they can mate, decreasing the population of future generations of fireflies.

“Love can be hard to find for even the brightest fireflies,” according to the Fish and Wildlife Service. “Even the distracting light of a full moon can outshine their visual Morse code, making it impossible for males and females to recognize each other. Light pollution from cities, factories and roads has seriously killed the buzz for these insects”

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Candace Fallon, senior conservation biologist at the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, advises being conscientious about fireflies when caring for lawns. She previously told CBS News that she suggests mowing less often or letting the grass grow higher as a way to protect fireflies.

The advice applies all year round, not just in spring and summer when flashes of light are visible.

“So many people just think of fireflies when they are flashing adults for a few weeks in the summer, but the reality is they are present all year round, we just don’t notice them or see them,” says Fallon. said.

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