The beetle superfamily Elateroidea comprises the most biodiverse bioluminescent insects among terrestrial light-producing animals. Recent exceptional fossils from the Mesozoic era and phylogenomic studies have provided valuable insights into the origin and evolution of bioluminescence in elateroids. However, due to the fragmentary nature of the fossil record, the early evolution of bioluminescence in fireflies (Lampyridae), one of the most charismatic lineages of insects, remains elusive. Here, we report the discovery of the second Mesozoic bioluminescent firefly, Flammarionella hehaikuni Cai, Ballantyne & Kundrata gen. et sp. nov., from the Albian/Cenomanian of northern Myanmar (ca 99 Ma). Based on the available set of diagnostic characters, we interpret the specimen as a female of stem-group Luciolinae. The fossil possesses deeply impressed oval pits on the apices of antennomeres 3-11, representing specialized sensory organs likely involved in olfaction. The light organ near the abdominal apex of Flammarionella resembles that found in extant light-producing lucioline fireflies. The growing fossil record of lampyrids provides direct evidence that the stunning light displays of fireflies were already established by the late Mesozoic.

Bristol Palaeobiology Group School of Earth Sciences University of Bristol Bristol BS8 1TQ UK

Departamento de Entomología Museo de Historia Natural Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos Lima 15072 Perú

Department of Earth Sciences University of Cambridge Cambridge CB2 3EQ UK

Department of Zoology Faculty of Science Palacky University Olomouc 779 00 Czech Republic

Division of Invertebrate Zoology American Museum of Natural History New York NY 10024 5192 USA

Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos Lima 15081 Perú

School of Agricultural Environmental and Veterinary Sciences Charles Sturt University Wagga Wagga 2678 Australia

State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology Chinese Academy of Sciences Nanjing People's Republic of China

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A light in the dark: a mid-Cretaceous bioluminescent firefly with specialized antennal sensory organs