The International Union for Conservation of Nature has asked the Mexican government lessen the harm done by tourists to a threatened firefly species.
Each summer, the firefly species Photinus palaciosi draws around 120,000 tourist to watch an unusual light show: male fireflies blinking together as one.
The humans bring with them litter, artificial light and noise that can interfere with the courtship and egg-laying behaviors of the insects, which occur in the forests of the central Mexican states of Tlaxcala, Estado de Mexico and Puebla.
The IUCN and its Firefly Specialist Group asked the Mexican government to regulate such tourism, and requested that visitors and the tourism industry minimize artificial lighting and avoid putting lodgings near breeding sites.
