TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Experts Wednesday (April 10) confirmed the discovery of a new aquatic firefly species in Keelung.
The Wild Bird Society of Keelung said that in the first year of a study commissioned by the Keelung City Government in 2022, its team members collected firefly specimens in Nuannuan District that had not been documented in field guides. With the assistance of firefly expert Chen Tsan-jung (陳燦榮) and scholar Cheng Ming-lun (鄭明倫), it was confirmed that they were a new species of firefly.
They are being temporarily referred to as the "Beimiao" (北杪) firefly in Mandarin. "Miao" (杪) means treetop, as they fly at canopy height.

In 2023, the Keelung Bird Society collected the insect's eggs from streams and hatched them. As the larvae have tracheal gills and live in water, they were confirmed as Taiwan's fourth aquatic firefly species.
Director of the society and project leader Shen Chin-feng (沈錦豐) said Taiwan previously had three known aquatic firefly species and one semi-aquatic one. Shen said the aquatic species Aquatica hydrophila and semi-aquatic firefly Pristolycus kanoi Nakane are found in Keelung.

Shen said the discovery of Beimiao larvae indicates Keelung still has relatively pristine environments and clean streams, with the mountainous Nuannuan and Qidu districts being the most well-preserved.
The society added the Yourui area of Qidu District had the highest number of fireflies among the five surveyed sites. Fireflies collected at Yourui, mainly black-winged fireflies (Luciola cerata), were located next to a tunnel entrance, with a stream and winding paths nearby.

Video below shows Beimiao firefly larva hatching.