Lycaena helloides

• Overview
• Interesting Facts
• Common Names
• Description
• Biology
• Taxonomy
• Similar Species
• More Info
• Further Reading
• Notes

Overview

Interesting Facts

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]

Physical Description

Habitat

Disturbed areas including roadsides and open fields ; wet meadows, marshes, streamsides, and valleys.

Typically found at an altitude of 0 to 2,125 meters (0 to 6,972 feet).[3]

Biology

Diet

Caterpillar hosts: Knotweeds (Polygonum) and docks (Rumex) in the buckwheat family (Polygonaceae), cinquefoils in the rose family (Rosaceae). Adult food: Flower nectar.

Reproduction

Males perch and sometimes patrol in low spots for females. Eggs are scattered at the base of the host plant or in litter beneath it. Eggs hibernate; caterpillars feed on leaves.

Behavior

Flight: Three or four flights in lower elevation California. Two flights in many areas from May-July and from August-October. One flight at high altitude and far northern habitats from July-August.

Taxonomy

Similar Species

Members of the genus Lycaena

ZipcodeZoo has pages for 55 species and subspecies in this genus:

L. arota (Tailed Copper) · L. arota nubila (Cloudy Copper) · L. bleusei (Iberian Sooty Copper) · L. cupreus (Lustrous Copper) · L. cupreus artemisia (Lustrous Copper) · L. cupreus henryae (Henry's Copper) · L. cupreus lapidicola (Lustrous Copper) · L. cupreus snowi (Snow's Copper) · L. dione (Gray Copper) · L. dispar (Large Copper) · L. dispar dispar (Large Copper) · L. dorcas (Dorcas Copper) · L. dorcas arcticus (Arctic Copper) · L. dorcas castro (Rocky Mountain Copper) · L. dorcas claytoni (Clayton's Copper Butterfly) · L. dorcas dorcas (Dorcas Copper) · L. dorcas florus (Florus Copper) · L. dospassosi (Salt Marsh Copper) · L. editha (Edith's Copper) · L. editha obscuramaculata (Edith's Copper) · L. epixanthe (Bog Copper) · L. epixanthe epixanthe (Bog Copper) · L. epixanthe michiganensis (Bog Copper) · L. epixanthe phaedrus (Bog Copper) · L. ferrisi (Ferris' Copper) · L. gorgon (Gorgon Copper) · L. gorgon dorothea (Gorgon Copper) · L. gorgon jacquelinea (Gorgon Copper) · L. gorgon micropunctata (Gorgon Copper) · L. helloides (Purplish Copper) · L. hermes (Hermes Copper) · L. heteronea (Blue Copper) · L. heteronea clara (Bright Blue) · L. heteronea heteronea (Bright Blue) · L. hyllus (Bronze Copper) · L. mariposa (Mariposa Copper) · L. mariposa charlottensis (Queen Charlotte's Copper) · L. mariposa penroseae (Mariposa Copper) · L. nivalis (Lilac-Bordered Copper) · L. nivalis browni (Brown's Lilac Copper) · L. nivalis warnermontana (Lilac-Bordered Copper) · L. ottomana (Grecian Copper) · L. phlaeas (American Copper) · L. phlaeas americana (Little Copper) · L. phlaeas arctodon (Beartooth Copper) · L. phlaeas arethusa (Arethusa Copper) · L. phlaeas feildeni (Yellowish American Copper) · L. rubida (Ruddy Copper) · L. rubidus (Ruddy Copper) · L. rubidus incana (White Mountains Copper) · L. rubidus monachensis (Ruddy Copper) · L. rubidus sirius (Sirius Ruddy Copper) · L. thetis (Golden Copper) · L. xanthoides (Great Copper) · L. xanthoides obsolescens (Great Copper)

More Info

• Search for Pictures: images.google.com
• Search for Scholarly Articles: Google Scholar
• Search using Scientific Name and Vernacular Names: All the Web | AltaVista Canada | AltaVista | Excite | Google | HotBot | Lycos
• Search using Specialized Databases: GenBank | Medline | Scirus | CISTI/CAL | Agricola Periodicals | Agricola Books

Further Reading

• Annotated checklist of the butterflies of Illinois [by] Roderick R. Irwin [and] John C. Downey. Urbana, Illinois Natural History Survey, 1973. url p. 22, p. 35.
• Bibliography (Lepidoptera: Rhopalocera) / Charles A. Bridges. Urbana, Ill.: C.A. Bridges, c1993. url p. 245, p. 381, p. 67.
• Bulletin of the Southern California Academy of Sciences. Los Angeles, Calif.: The Academy, 1902-1971. url p. 123, p. 80.
• Catalogue of the family-group, genus-group and species-group names of the Riodinidae & Lycaenidae (Lepidoptera) of the world / Charles A. Bridges. Urbana, Ill.: C.A. Bridges, c1994. url p. 110.
• Entomological news. [Philadelphia]American Entomological Society, 1925- url , , p. 191, p. 320, p. 40, p. 41, p. 43, p. 44.
• The Great Basin naturalist. Provo, Utah: M.L. Bean Life Science Museum, Brigham Young University, 1939-1999. url p. 340, p. 344.
• The Lepidopterists' news: the monthly newsletter of the Lepidopterists' Society. Cambridge, Mass.: Lepidopterists' Society, 1947-1958. url , , p. 100, p. 120, p. 23, p. 88, p. 89, p. 92, p. 93, p. 94, p. 98.

Notes

Contributors

• Brands, S.J. (comp.) 1989-present. The Taxonomicon. Universal Taxonomic Services, Zwaag, The Netherlands. Accessed January 30, 2012.

Data Sources

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal November 12, 2007:

• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Saskatoon
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility, Butterflies and Skippers of Alberta Project
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility, Canadian National Collection
• of Insects, Arachnids and Nematodes
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility, Crispin S. Guppy Collection
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility, E.C. Manning Park Collection
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility, Gerald Hilchie Collection
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility, Lyman Entomological Museum
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility, M. Gollop Collection
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility, Manitoba Museum of Man and Nature
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility, New Brunswick Museum Collection
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility, Norbert Kondla Collection
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility, Northern Forestry Centre Arthropod Collection, Edmonton
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility, Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History, Halifax, NS, Canada
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility, Provincial Museum of Alberta
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility, Ross A. Layberry Observations
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility, Royal British Columbia Museum Entomology Collection
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility, Royal Ontario Museum: Entomology
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility, Royal Saskatchewan Museum Collection
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility, Spencer Entomological Museum
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility, University of Guelph, Department of Environmental Biology
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility, University of New Brunswick Collection
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility, University of Saskatchewan
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility, University of Western Ontario Collection

Identifiers

• Biodiversity Heritage Library NamebankID: 2602683
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility Taxonkey: 14808819
• Natural Heritage Network Species Identifier: IILEPC1130
• Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 171980

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 = 846.940 meters (2,778.675 feet), Standard Deviation = 546.160 based on 985 observations. Altitude information for each observation from British Oceanographic Data Centre. [back]

©2004-2012 David Stang. All rights reserved.