{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,29]],"date-time":"2026-07-29T17:59:54Z","timestamp":1785347994393,"version":"3.55.0"},"reference-count":17,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"7","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,29]],"date-time":"2026-07-29T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1785283200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/100000001","name":"National Science Foundation","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["DEB-1655981"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["DEB-1655981"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100000001","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosone.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLoS One"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Fireflies are well-documented in many regions of the USA. However, the presence of flashing fireflies in much of the western United States remains largely unknown. Leveraging citizen science, this study aimed to locate populations of bioluminescent fireflies across Utah. Through a multifaceted public outreach campaign and an interactive website for data collection, citizen scientists were invited to report firefly sightings. Over nearly a decade, the project successfully amassed reports from diverse locations, significantly expanding the known distribution of bioluminescent fireflies in Utah and beyond. Validation of reports was conducted through on-site observations and specimen collection. Despite challenges in data reports (e.g., reports from outside desired area) and public interest management (e.g., protecting private property sites), the project achieved remarkable success, with over 135 unique localities documented. Media coverage, social media engagement, and educational outreach further amplified the impact of the project. Limitations in data quality and public engagement were addressed through iterative improvements in reporting protocols and outreach strategies. Future directions include expanding the project to encompass the western United States and exploring innovative communication strategies. By partnering with organizations in neighboring states, the project aims to create a robust dataset and foster public awareness of these charismatic invertebrates. This study highlights the effectiveness of community-engaged approaches in biodiversity research and underscores the importance of public involvement in scientific endeavors.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0341617","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,29]],"date-time":"2026-07-29T17:21:22Z","timestamp":1785345682000},"page":"e0341617","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["A flashing success: A community-engaged approach to finding western U.S. fireflies"],"prefix":"10.1371","volume":"21","author":[{"given":"Christy","family":"Bills","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Gavin","family":"Martin","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0006-3487-9166","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Ellen","family":"Eiriksson","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Arthur","family":"Morris","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Alexandra G.","family":"Duffy","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6224-6303","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Seth M.","family":"Bybee","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"340","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,29]]},"reference":[{"issue":"6","key":"pone.0341617.ref001","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1093\/isd\/ixz024","article-title":"Higher-level phylogeny and reclassification of lampyridae (Coleoptera: Elateroidea)","volume":"3","author":"GJ Martin","year":"2019","journal-title":"Insect Systematics and Diversity"},{"issue":"6","key":"pone.0341617.ref002","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1093\/isd\/ixaa014","article-title":"Multilocus phylogeny support the nonbioluminescent fireflychespiritoas a new subfamily in the lampyridae (Coleoptera: Elateroidea)","volume":"4","author":"VS Ferreira","year":"2020","journal-title":"Insect Systematics and Diversity"},{"key":"pone.0341617.ref003","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"564","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ympev.2016.12.017","article-title":"Total evidence phylogeny and the evolution of adult bioluminescence in fireflies (Coleoptera: Lampyridae)","volume":"107","author":"GJ Martin","year":"2017","journal-title":"Mol Phylogenet Evol"},{"key":"pone.0341617.ref004","first-page":"1","article-title":"Revision of the nearctic species of pyractomena (Coleoptera: Lampyridae)","volume":"15","author":"JW Green","year":"1957","journal-title":"The Wasmann Journal of Biology"},{"key":"pone.0341617.ref005","article-title":"Firefly find helps children see science in new light","author":"A Wilson","year":"1991","journal-title":"The Salt Lake Tribune"},{"issue":"11","key":"pone.0341617.ref006","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0259379","article-title":"Evaluating firefly extinction risk: Initial red list assessments for North America","volume":"16","author":"CE Fallon","year":"2021","journal-title":"PLoS One"},{"issue":"6","key":"pone.0341617.ref007","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"291","DOI":"10.1890\/110236","article-title":"The current state of citizen science as a tool for ecological research and public engagement","volume":"10","author":"JL Dickinson","year":"2012","journal-title":"Frontiers in Ecol & Environ"},{"key":"pone.0341617.ref008","article-title":"New trend of ecological industry\u2014as example of value and development of firefly watching activities in Mt. 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