Lycaena dospassosi

• Overview
• Common Names
• Description
• Taxonomy
• Similar Species
• More Info
• Notes

Overview

Threatened

Common Names

Description

Family Lycaenidae

'The Lycaenidae are members of the Superfamily Papilionoidea, the true butterflies. Worldwide in distribution, this family has approximately 4,700 species that are unevenly distributed. Coppers are especially dominant in north temperate regions , blues are richest in the Old World tropics and north temperate zones, and hairstreaks are particularly abundant in New World tropics. The adults are typically small to tiny and often brilliantly colored--iridescent blues, bright reds, and oranges. Adults of both sexes have three pairs of walking legs , though most males have fused segments in their front legs. Most adults visit flowers for nectar, but some harvesters feed on wooly aphid honeydew and some hairstreaks feed on aphid honeydew or bird droppings. Females lay single, sea urchin shaped eggs on host leaves or flower buds; the resulting caterpillars are typically slug-shaped. In many species, caterpillars depend on ants for protection, so caterpillars produce sugary secretions that are collected by the ants. Most species overwinter in either the egg or pupal stage.

'[1]

Subfamily Lycaeninae

Coppers are members of the Family Lycaenidae. They are found in sunny, open habitats throughout the temperate zone, with 50 species found in Eurasia and North America. One isolated species lives on volcanoes in Guatemala, and a few species live in New Guinea, New Zealand, and northern Africa. No species are known migrants, but several are local colonists . Coppers typically have upper wing surfaces that are iridescent purple or red-orange, but some North American species are blue, brown, or gray. Males perch and interact with other males while awaiting receptive females. Most species have a single brood and overwinter as eggs or as first instar caterpillars within the egg. The caterpillars feed on leaves of host plants , which in North America are docks, knotweeds, buckwheats, cinquefoils, gooseberries, currants, or redberry.[2]

Habitat

Typically found in water with a depth of 0 to -1 meters (0 to -3 feet).[3]

Taxonomy

Similar Species

Members of the genus Lycaena

There are approximately 729 species in this genus. Here are just 100 of them:

L. abbottii · L. achaja · L. acmon · L. actis · L. addenda · L. aditya · L. aedon · L. aegagrus · L. aegera · L. aegestis · L. aegina · L. aeolus · L. aestiva · L. aestivaecaudata · L. aestivus · L. aetnaea · L. afra · L. aihona · L. alaina · L. alba · L. albacaudata · L. albicans · L. albidoflava · L. albipicta · L. albipuncta · L. albocellata · L. albopunctata · L. alcedo · L. alciphron · L. alcyphron · L. alexandra · L. allardi · L. alpium · L. alpiumclara · L. altuiana · L. amdoensis · L. americana · L. amica · L. amphidamas · L. amphyssina · L. amyntula · L. anamariae · L. andicola · L. angustimargo · L. annetta · L. antenigrescens · L. anteroalba · L. anteros · L. anthracina · L. antibasijuncta · L. antinigrescens · L. apennina · L. apicalisjuncta · L. apicepunctata · L. araraticus · L. arcana · L. arcas · L. arcus · L. ardates · L. ardschira · L. arethusa · L. argentata · L. argentina · L. argola · L. argus · L. aricia · L. arion · L. arionides · L. arionides sugitanii · L. arionidula · L. arota (Tailed Copper) · L. arota nubila (Cloudy Copper) · L. arruana · L. artemenes · L. arthurus · L. asabinus · L. asamensis · L. ashretha · L. aster · L. athamantis · L. atra · L. attenuata · L. aucta · L. aurata · L. aurcomicaus · L. auronitens · L. auroradiata · L. azurea · L. babhru · L. bajuvaricus · L. balucha · L. baralacha · L. baroghila · L. basijuncta · L. basilijuncta · L. basilipuncta · L. basinovopuncta · L. batavus · L. bathinia · L. baton

More Info

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Notes

Contributors

• Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Accessed November 12, 2007. http://www.gbif.org Mediated distribution data from 8 providers.

Data Sources

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal November 12, 2007:

• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility, Canadian National Collection
• of Insects, Arachnids and Nematodes
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility, Gerald Hilchie Collection
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility, Lepidopterists Society Season Summaries 1973-1997
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility, Lyman Entomological Museum
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility, New Brunswick Museum Collection
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility, Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources, Subenacadie, NS, Canada
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility, Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History, Halifax, NS, Canada

Identifiers

• Global Biodiversity Information Facility Taxonkey: 14824307
• Natural Heritage Network Species Identifier: IILEPC1180
• Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 172006

Footnotes

1. http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/taxonomy?f=16&sci=Lycaenidae&com=Gossamer-wing Butterflies [back]
2. http://bugguide.net/index.php?q=search&keys=Arota&search=Search [back]
3. Mean = 10.070 meters (33.038 feet), Standard Deviation = 42.860 based on 15 observations. Ocean depth information for each observation from British Oceanographic Data Centre. [back]

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