also: きんぼたる
noun
Hotaria parvula (species of firefly)
A small firefly species native to Japan; often mentioned alongside 姫蛍 (Hotaria parvula).
See also: 姫蛍
金ボタルは、姫蛍とよく似た小型のホタルです。
The kin-botaru is a small firefly species closely resembling the hime-botaru.
夏の夜、金ボタルが川辺で光るのを見た。
On a summer night, I saw kin-botaru fireflies glowing by the riverside.
姫蛍 (Hotaria parvula) is a closely related firefly species; 金ボタル is sometimes considered a variant or regional name.
Compound of 金 (kin, 'gold') and ボタル (botaru, 'firefly'), referring to its golden glow. The exact derivation is uncertain.