Stickleback, Genji Firefly and Heike Firefly Habitat

A small freshwater fish with several dorsal spines, living in spring-fed waters and cold channels. In the breeding season males weave nests from water plants and guard the eggs. Spring-water sites in Toyama, Ishikawa and elsewhere are protected, some together with fireflies.

The Genji Firefly is Japan's representative large firefly, glowing softly by clear streams on early summer nights. Its larvae live in water and feed on freshwater snails. It has declined in many places through water pollution and riverbank works, but conservation efforts continue. "The Genji fireflies of Nagaoka and their breeding site" in Maibara, Shiga, is a Special Natural Monument, and many other sites across Japan are also Natural Monuments.

The Heike firefly is smaller than the Genji firefly, and its larvae grow in still or slow waters such as paddies and ponds. Adults glow from early summer into summer with small, flickering lights. Firefly habitats in Toyama, Okayama and Tokushima are designated Natural Monuments, and the species is a useful indicator of healthy waterside environments.