A UC Riverside undergraduate student has discovered a new species of firefly in an area of Topanga Canyon.

Joshua Oliva was collecting insects for a semester project. He thought one of his specimens was a firefly but showed it to Doug Yanega, head of the entomology museum on campus.

“He ID’d it on the spot,” Oliva said.

Yanega told Oliva that it was a new species of firefly. That assessment was confirmed by experts at the University of Florida.

Discovering new species of insects at UCR is not unusual, Yanega said. He estimated that it happens about once a week and that many of the species are from the Inland Empire. He identified a new beetle that came from Lytle Creek a few weeks ago.

“I’ve been told by other people a number of times, ‘Hey, you discovered a new species,’” Yanega said. “This was the first time I’ve given the news to someone else who’s discovered one. It was very gratifying.”

Sometimes, new insects in the museum’s collection of about 4 million specimens won’t be identified as new species for 10 to 15 years, Yanega said. What was unusual in this case was that the firefly was instantly recognizable as unique.

Oliva was required to capture 300 insects for his entomology class. Each one had to be mounted and identified, including the firefly.

“(Oliva) came to me and said, ‘Can you check this and make sure I got this right?’” Yanega said. “I was like, ‘That’s a new species.’”

Oliva, 24, is a native of Guatemala. He graduated with a degree in history/Latin American studies, earlier this month and plans to apply to graduate school at UCR in entomology.

He said he recalls capturing the firefly.

“This was Mother’s Day,” Oliva said. “I thought it would be nice to get my mom out of the house. I was telling her about what was going on with my classes and they were helping me collect. She had her chance with the net as well.”

Even though she didn’t snag the firefly, Oliva said, his mother, Ana, may eventually get some of the credit. Naming a new species is a long and sometimes complex process. But Oliva may get a chance to have input at some point.

“If they allow me to name it,” he said, “I’m definitely going to name it after her. She put a lot of time and effort into helping me graduate.”

Despite his discovery, Oliva said he didn’t get any extra credit in the class.

“I think I got a 96 in the class,” he said. “It’s one of the hardest classes. I was just glad I passed.”

Contact the writer: mmuckenfuss@pe.com or 951-368-9595