The invention relates to a fluorescent dye of general formula I or II wherein R1, R2, R3 and R4 are independently hydrogen or a branched or unbranched, saturated or unsaturated, aliphatic or aromatic, functionally substituted, or unsubstituted hydrocarbon radical, wherein at least one of the R1 or R2 radicals and one of the R3 or R4 radicals is not hydrogen and the R1 and R3 radicals and/or R2 and R4 radicals in formula I can be bridged to each other, and X and Y independently represent a substituted or unsubstituted C1 or C2 hydrocarbon radical wherein any one carbon unit can be replaced by an N or S heteroatom. The dye is remarkable for its high fluorescence intensity and large Stokes shift in combination with a long fluorescence lifetime.