Type of firefly could be first on federal endangered species list

Fireflies put on a summertime light show

Fireflies put on a summertime light show 06:22

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

The firefly, found in coastal Delaware, Maryland and Virginia, is one of around 170 firefly species in the U.S. The species is already considered critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and the Fish and Wildlife Service said it's under consideration for listing under the Endangered Species Act.

It's the first firefly species to be considered for protections under the act, according to a Fish and Wildlife Service spokesperson. If the species is listed, then federal agencies will be required to ensure their actions are unlikely to jeopardize the Bethany Beach firefly. 

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

The Bethany Beach firefly is not the only type of firefly at risk; about 10% of the 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 need very specific habitats to survive. 

The Bethany Beach firefly, for instance, lives only in swales — low-lying freshwater marsh areas near coastal dunes, according to the Fish and Wildlife Service. Climate change is affecting the firefly habitat and around 76-95% of swales could be lost to high-tide flooding by 2100, according to climate models. 

The firefly species also faces threats from development, light pollution, recreation, grazing by ponies, the use of pesticides and invasive plant species. 

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

"Love can be hard to find for even the brightest of fireflies," according to the Fish and Wildlife Service. "Even the interfering 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 towns, factories and roads have been seriously killing the buzz for these insects"

Candace Fallon, senior conservation biologist at the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, advises being conscientious of fireflies when taking care of lawns. She previously told CBS News that she suggests mowing less often or leaving the grass taller as a way to protect fireflies. 

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

"So many just people just think about fireflies when they're these flashing adults for a few weeks in the summer, but the reality is that they're present all year long, we're just not noticing them or seeing them," Fallon said.