Small Copper
Lycaena phlaeas (Linnaeus, [1760])
Status
Description
A small copper coloured butterfly. The forewing upperside has a broad brown margin and black spots, whilst the hindwing is brown with an orange margin. The underside forewing is similar to the upperside, and the hindwing is greyish-brown with small dark spots, and orange spots along the margin faintly visible. Male and female are similar. Its small size and markings should avoid confusion of other species of the genius. There are two aberations of this butterfly which are commonly encountered in Corfu. The first which is widely known as the 'Hellenic' form amongst members of CBC and is actually refered to in the scientific literature as ab. fuscae Robs., in which the forewing upperside is almost entirely brown. The second variant which is habitually seen has bright blue spots on the hindwing uppersides and is known as ab. caeruleopunctata Ruhl.
Habitat Requirements
The success of this butterfly is mostly due to its easily replicated, fine scale habitat structure, which usually includes vegetation with small patches of open bare and thus warm, ground.
Larval Foodplants
Knot Grass Polygonum aviculare, Clustered Dock Rumex conglomeratus, Curled dock Rumex crispus, Rumex tuberosus subsp. Tuberosus.
Observations
This is a globally distributed species, whose adult butterflies fly fast and low, settling frequently to bask in sunny open spaces. Here they spend a significant portion of their time thermoregulating, enabling them to respond quickly to other insects that may enter their territory. Their highly territorial behaviour is not restricted to insects their own size and they can commonly be observed pursuing butterflies more than twice their dimensions.
*The information provided in the tables below is based on verified sightings of the Small Copper submitted via this website since 1st January 2021.
First and Last Sightings
| Year | First | Last/latest | # Days |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 06/01/2023 | 21/05/2023 | 135 days |
| 2022 | 30/01/2022 | 26/12/2022 | 330 days |
| 2021 | 23/02/2021 | 24/11/2021 | 274 days |
Number of Observations
| Year | Number of observations |
|---|---|
| 2023 | 159 |
| 2022 | 564 |
| 2021 | 158 |
| Grand Total | 882 |
Distribution Map
Distribution maps for this species are currently unavailable.Flight Times for the Small Copper (2023)
The chart below shows flight data by month for 2023 submitted online since 1st January 2023 to 28th May 2023.
Flight Times for the Small Copper (All Data)
The chart below shows flight data by month based on all data submitted online since 1st January 2019 to 28th May 2023.
Taxonomy
- Vernacular/Common Name: Small Copper
- Family: Lycaenidae (Leach, 1815)
- Sub-family: Lycaeninae (Leach, 1815)
- Tribe: Lycaenini (Leach, 1815)
- Genus: Lycaena (Fabricius, 1807)
- Species: phlaeas (Linnaeus, [1760])
References
For a list of references, please see our bibliography page.
