Big Dipper Firefly vs Meller’s Mongoose

Photinus pyralis compared with Rhynchogale melleri

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Big Dipper Firefly	Meller’s Mongoose
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Insecta (Insects)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Coleoptera (Beetles)	Carnivora (Carnivorans)
Family	Lampyridae	Herpestidae
Genus	Photinus	Rhynchogale
Species	Photinus pyralis	Rhynchogale melleri

Evolutionary Relationship

Big Dipper Firefly and Meller’s Mongoose share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Animals)

Conservation Status

Big Dipper Firefly

LC — Least Concern

Meller’s Mongoose

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Big Dipper Firefly	Meller’s Mongoose
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Big Dipper Firefly

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Canada and United States.

Meller’s Mongoose

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Big Dipper Firefly

The Big Dipper Firefly (Photinus pyralis) is a species in the genus Photinus. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.