Rare Gombak firefly not seen in Malaysia for over 100 years rediscovered in Bukit Kiara by student, prompts new questions about species survival

KUALA LUMPUR, June 5 — Discovering something rare is exciting but it becomes truly memorable when it happens unexpectedly.

That was exactly the case for Tan Wei Jack, 24, a research assistant and master’s student in environmental science at Monash University Malaysia. He never imagined that a routine firefly survey at Taman Persekutuan Bukit Kiara here on Oct 23 last year, would lead to the unintentional “rediscovery” of a rare species last seen in Malaysia a century ago.

His discovery — Pteroptyx gombakia (P. gombakia) or the Gombak bent-winged firefly — turned out to be the third known specimen of this particular species, and marked the ninth known firefly species identified in the Bukit Kiara urban forest, Malaysia’s first federal park which is managed by the National Landscape Department.

P. gombakia was officially named in 2015 by entomologist Lesly Ballantyne at the Natural History Museum in London, based on the first specimen of the species collected in 1921 from the area now known as Genting Sempah in Gombak, Selangor.

Tan said the firefly specimen he collected last October was initially assumed to be of a species from the genus Colophotia, which is commonly found in Bukit Kiara. But later when he examined it closely on Jan 9, it looked different.

“So I took some photos through the microscope and sent them to my academic supervisor Dr Wan Faridah (Akmal Jusoh). After discussions, we found out it was actually a bent-winged P. gombakia (from a different genus),” he told Bernama recently.

Tan said he, together with Dr Wan Faridah — a firefly taxonomist and senior lecturer in Biodiversity and Conservation at Monash University Malaysia — returned to Bukit Kiara to do more research.

“Whenever we saw their flashing lights (usually at twilight), we would catch the fireflies, observe their features, record their species and then release them,” he said.

Mangrove species

According to Wan Faridah, who is also the co-chair of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Species Survival Commission Firefly Specialist Group, P. gombakia belongs to the genus Pteroptyx, which is usually found in mangrove habitats and known for its synchronous flashing displays in large congregations.

She added there is a group of Pteroptyx called ‘bent-winged’ fireflies, named after their folded wings, which are also mostly found in mangroves.

She said she was surprised when Tan showed her the specimen collected from the Bukit Kiara urban forest as it was “the first bent-winged Pteroptyx ever found outside of mangroves”.

“This suggests that the species can actually survive outside that ecosystem,” she told Bernama.

Wan Faridah also said she did not realise Tan’s specimen was the bent-winged Pteroptyx until she examined its microscopic images.

“The difference (between P. gombakia and the more common Colophotia) was spotted in the (P. gombakia) firefly’s light-producing organ called the ‘lantern’, which is located in the insect’s abdomen,” she said.

She explained both P. gombakia and Colophotia have bipartite light organs, meaning the structure is divided into two distinct sections. However, P. gombakia lacks a median carina, a ridge that separates the organ into two halves.

“Indeed, it’s truly magical we have this rare group of fireflies living in the heart of our city,” she said.

She also said out of the 14 known bent-winged Pteroptyx species, nine are found in mangrove ecosystems. The habitats of the remaining species, including P. gombakia, remain unclear due to a lack of ecological data.

Types of fireflies

Fireflies belong to Lampyridae, a family of insects within the Coleoptera order, which includes bioluminescent beetles.

Wan Faridah said globally, more than 2,600 firefly species have been identified. In Malaysia, over 60 species have been documented so far, with at least 10 of them found in mangrove swamps.

She said one of the main characteristics distinguishing territorial fireflies from mangrove forest fireflies is their behaviour: the former typically fly alone while the latter — also known as congregating fireflies — gather and display their light in groups.

Of the nine Pteroptyx species found in mangrove forests, four have been listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

“Usually, two to three species can be found congregating in a single mangrove tree, and these insects require suitable water levels and temperatures to ensure the survival of their species,” she said.

Wan Faridah noted that most fireflies found flying in both mangrove and terrestrial habitats are males while some females are flightless, remaining on the ground while the males fly and use light signals to locate and attract them.

While congregating fireflies in mangrove swamps are well-known as ecotourism attractions in Malaysia, Wan Faridah said solitary fireflies also exist in other forest types.

The Bukit Kiara urban forest, for instance, is now home to nine firefly species, including Lamprigera – the world’s largest female firefly species — and the latest discovery P. gombakia.

Wan Faridah said unlike most Pteroptyx species, the bent-winged firefly species recently discovered in Bukit Kiara does not appear to congregate in large numbers.

“We don’t have enough data about this species and we still have many unanswered questions.

“What worries us is that we may have discovered a species (P. gombakia) which is on the brink of extinction. So currently, we are racing against time to find the answers,” she said.

According to Wan Faridah, threats to P. gombakia include habitat loss due to urban development and artificial lighting at night, which causes light pollution and disrupts the flashing signals fireflies use to communicate with each other.

“Every rediscovered firefly species is evidence that extinction is possible but it can still be prevented if we act.

“If more people become aware of these endangered fireflies, perhaps more efforts will be made to protect their habitats,” she said.

Wan Faridah also said despite the potential of fireflies as ecotourism assets, one of the main challenges for researchers in Malaysia is the lack of a proper species inventory and natural history collection, which would serve as a valuable archive of insect diversity.

She said research on fireflies in Malaysia is limited, making conservation efforts more difficult.

“I had no intention of becoming an entomologist until I discovered kelip-kelip (fireflies) in 2006 during a final year project field trip to Kampung Sepetang, Perak, when I was an environmental science undergraduate at Universiti Putra Malaysia.

“I became curious and told my supervisor I wanted to study fireflies… but due to the lack of local studies (on fireflies), I had to start from scratch — building my own database by collecting species across Malaysia,” she said, adding her research focuses not only on biodiversity but also on the natural heritage of fireflies.

She also pointed out that due to colonial-era practices, many specimens originally from Malaysia are now stored in foreign institutions.

“Due to the lack of facilities in Malaysia, as part of my research projects, I need to travel to countries like the Netherlands, France and England to visit their natural history museums to compare reference specimens of fireflies that were collected during the colonial era,” she said.

She added that the process of recognising and verifying new firefly discoveries takes at least two years, and requires both funding and facilities.

“In Malaysia, very few firefly studies have been carried out. Even when discoveries are made, it is difficult for us to confirm whether they are new or just duplicates of existing species,” she said.

Wan Faridah also hopes to build an extensive species database and discover new species of fireflies.

“I want to reconstruct the data so we can have a comprehensive list of what species we actually have here in Malaysia.

“My goal is to develop a national species inventory so that future generations who want to study fireflies can refer to it, so we can continue the legacy of protecting Malaysia’s firefly biodiversity,” she said. — Bernama