Lycaena hyllus

Lycaena hyllus, the bronze copper, is a butterfly of the lycaenids family found in North America.[1][2]

Bronze copper
Petrie Island, Ottawa
Not evaluated (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Arthropoda
Class:
Insecta
Order:
Lepidoptera
Family:
Lycaenidae
Genus:
Lycaena
Species:
L. hyllus
Binomial name
Lycaena hyllus
(Cramer, [1775])
Synonyms
  • Papilio hyllus
  • Hylloycaena hyllus
  • Lycaena thoe
  • Chrysophanus thoe

Description

The upperside has a brown background with golden zig-zag borders along the margins of the hindwings. Females have lighter areas in the forewings with several dark spots within the lighter areas. The undersides are primarily white with dark spots and underlying orange areas. The wingspan is 23 to 38 mm.[2]

Range

It is widespread from Alberta to northern Nevada in the west through to the east coasts of Canada and United States.[1] This butterfly's range is similar to that of the Lycaena heteronea, especially in Alberta. It is listed as a species of special concern in the US state of Connecticut.[3]

Host plants

Their hosts are plants of the family Polygonaceae,[4] especially Water dock and curled dock.[1]

Adult plants

Adults have been observed feeding from blackberry and red clover.[4]

References
  1. Jim P. Brock and K. Kaufman. Kaufman Field Guide to Butterflies of North America, New York, NY:Houghton Mifflin, 2003.
  2. Lycaena hyllus, Butterflies of Canada
  3. "Connecticut's Endangered, Threatened and Special Concern Species 2015". State of Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Bureau of Natural Resources. Retrieved January 27, 2018.
  4. https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Lycaena-hyllus
  • Lycaena at Markku Savela's website on Lepidoptera
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