Firefly species discovered after 90-year absence: 'Even when things seem lost, they can still find their way back'

Firefly species discovered after 90-year absence: 'Even when things seem lost, they can still find their way back'

Firefly species discovered after 90-year absence: 'Even when things seem lost, they can still find their way back' In October, Monash University master’s student Tan Wei Jack was doing a routine specimen examination of a firefly sample discovered in the dense forests of Bukit Kiara, Malaysia.  Then he did a double-take.  “I was examining some previously collected specimens under the microscope and noticed something strange, a feature that didn’t match what I’d just learned about Colophotia fireflies the day before,” Tan told Monash University in early June. “This was the moment I knew that something was different.” Tan soon realized that he was looking at a Pteroptyx gombakia , or a Gombak bent-winged firefly. The discovery marked the first time that the species had been identified in 90 years — and the first live sighting of the species, ever.  “Everyone was so supportive. I’m really grateful for that,” said Tan, who studies under the tutelage of Dr. Wan Faridah Akmal Jusoh — a lea…