Lycaena cuprea

Lustrous copper
Conservation status
Apparently Secure  (NatureServe)[1]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Lycaenidae
Genus:	Lycaena
Species:	L. cuprea
Binomial name
Lycaena cuprea (W. H. Edwards, 1870)[2]
Synonyms
Chalceria cupreus Dyar, 1903 Lycaena cupreus Chrysophanus snowi Edwards, 1881

Lycaena cuprea, the lustrous copper, is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae. It is found in the western mountains of North America.[3]

The wingspan is 23–30 mm. Adults are on wing from mid-June to July or August. They feed on the nectar of Cirsium, Medicago sativa and Melilotus species.[3]

The larvae feed on Oxyria digyna and Rumex species.

Subspecies

• L. c. snowi (Edwards, 1881)
• L. c. henryae (Cadbury, 1937)

References

1. "NatureServe Explorer 2.0". explorer.natureserve.org. Retrieved 2024-12-08.
2. Lycaena at Markku Savela's website on Lepidoptera
3. Lustrous Copper, Butterflies of Canada