Paralucia aurifer
| Bright copper | |
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| Species: | P. aurifer
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| Binomial name | |
| Paralucia aurifer Blanchard, 1848
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Paralucia aurifer, commonly known as the bright copper, is a butterfly belonging to the family Lycaenidae.
Taxonomy
The bright copper was first described by Émile Blanchard in 1848.[1]
Description
The adult bright copper has a wingspan of 25 millimetres (0.98 in).[2]
The flight season is from December to January.[3]
The wings are dull brown on top with gold-orange triangles in the middle of each wing.[3]
Distribution and habitat
It is found in Eastern Australia including New South Wales, eastern Queensland, Victoria, Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory.[4]
Ecology
The bright copper (Paralucia aurifera) and ant species Anonychomyrma nitidiceps form a complex symbiotic relationship on Bursaria spinosa. Butterflies lay their eggs on the underside of the leaves, and the caterpillars feed on the leaves before pupating in the soil at the foot of the plant. The ants excavate chambers in the soil where the caterpillars sleep and later pupate, and accompany the caterpillars when the latter are feeding. They are thought to feed on the caterpillars' secretions.[5]
Gallery
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Egg, dorsal view -
Egg, lateral view -
Larva -
Pupa -
Mounted male -
Mounted female -
Male -
Female
See also
References
- ^ "Paralucia aurifer". www.funet.fi. Retrieved 29 December 2009.
- ^ "Bright Copper Butterfly Paralucia aurifer". Museum Victoria. Retrieved 19 December 2009.
- ^ a b "Paralucia aurifer". Morwell National Park Online. Retrieved 29 December 2009.
- ^ Kitching, Roger (1999). Roger Laurence Kitching (ed.). Biology of Australian butterflies. CSIRO Publishing. ISBN 9780643050273.
- ^ Cushman, J. Hall ; Rashbrook, Vanessa K.; Beattie, Andrew J. (1994). "Assessing Benefits to Both Participants in a Lycaenid-Ant Association" (PDF). Ecology. 75 (4): 1031–41. doi:10.2307/1939427. JSTOR 1939427.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
External links
Media related to Paralucia aurifer at Wikimedia Commons
Data related to Paralucia aurifer at Wikispecies
