Three-dimensional time-resolved flash occurrences of swarming Photinus carolinus fireflies in their natural habitat

Photinus carolinus fireflies are famous for their synchronous
display. Individual males emit flash trains consisting generally of 5 to 7
flashes every 0.5s (approximately). Swarming males adjust the timing of
their phrases on each other's tempo, thus collectively producing
periodic bursts of synchronized flashes. P. carolinus populations are
found primarily scattered along the Appalachian chain of the Eastern
United States, notably in the Smoky Mountains. There, while observed by
local residents since at least the 1960s, this spectacular phenomenon
started being investigated with modern data collection techniques in the
1990s. Starting in 2019, we have used high-resolution stereoscopic
videography to capture the collective display of Photinus carolinus
fireflies in their natural habitat, namely the Elkmont, Tennessee area of
Great Smoky Mountains National Park. In this dataset, we provide the
three-dimensional (3D), time-resolved coordinates of flash occurrences for
several swarming events. The 3D data correspond to: 1) recordings made
every night between June 3 and June 13, 2020 (except June 4 and June 6),
at the exact same location in a small forest clearing; 2) recordings made
using 360-degree cameras on June 9, 10 and 13, 2020 at two nearby sites.
In addition, we are providing a complete set of the original movies for
June 11, 2020. The dataset provided was the basis to the findings
presented in: Sarfati et al., Self-organization in natural swarms of
Photinus carolinus fireflies, Science Advances, abg9259
(2021). We hope that it will foster further discoveries.