Lycaenidae : Lycaeninae
Lesser Fiery Copper
LYCAENA thersamon (Esper, 1784)
Lesser Fiery Copper
LYCAENA thersamon (Esper, 1784)
Life Cycle Guide-Imago Only
Description
Wingspan: Male 28-32mm Female 25-35mm
Worldwide Distribution: Widespread,found local to Larval Food Plant : Italy : Central & East Europe : Asia Minor : West Asia : Iraq : Iran : Altai : Mongolia : North West China.
European Conservation Status -
Flight Period: March-December : North mountainous regions-May-August-single generation : South of region-May-August-2-3 generations
Habitat: Dry grassy places : Wasteland : Rocky Hills : River Valleys : Coastal regions : Agricultural land
Overwinters as: Larva
Observations: In Cyprus I found four colonies of the stunningly beautiful Lesser Fiery Coppers in small numbers on an area of rough ground wedged between two hotels in Pathos, adjacent to the coast,always amongst dense mats of the larval food plant, Horsetail Knotweed (Polygonum equisetiforme).(see Typical Habitat photo below).
First brood butterflies are larger with smaller hindwing tails than later broods.Polyvoltine-four overlapping broods per year may be recorded.
Worldwide Distribution: Widespread,found local to Larval Food Plant : Italy : Central & East Europe : Asia Minor : West Asia : Iraq : Iran : Altai : Mongolia : North West China.
European Conservation Status -
- Least Concern
- Papilio thersamon (Esper, 1784)
- Papilio phlaeas (Linnaeus, 1758)
- Sarepta, Südrussland
Flight Period: March-December : North mountainous regions-May-August-single generation : South of region-May-August-2-3 generations
Habitat: Dry grassy places : Wasteland : Rocky Hills : River Valleys : Coastal regions : Agricultural land
Overwinters as: Larva
Observations: In Cyprus I found four colonies of the stunningly beautiful Lesser Fiery Coppers in small numbers on an area of rough ground wedged between two hotels in Pathos, adjacent to the coast,always amongst dense mats of the larval food plant, Horsetail Knotweed (Polygonum equisetiforme).(see Typical Habitat photo below).
First brood butterflies are larger with smaller hindwing tails than later broods.Polyvoltine-four overlapping broods per year may be recorded.
Photo Gallery
Typical Habitat
Larval Food Plants Worldwide
Note - Plants hyperlinked in red below take the visitor to the relevant plant page on"Plants for a Future" website
where further information like photos,physical
characteristics,habitats,edible uses,medicinal
uses,cultivation,propagation,range,height etc. are clearly listed.
- Plant Families - in bold red below takes the visitor to the relevant "Lepi-plants" page where other butterflies & moths using the plants below are listed.
- Fabaceae - Leguminosea - Pulse - Bean - Pea - Family
- Caragana frutex - Russian Peashrub
- Polygonaceae - Docks - Sorrels - Knotweeds - Smartweeds
- Atraphaxis laetevirens - No Common Name
- Polygonum aviculare - Postrate Knotweed
- Polygonum bellardi - Narrow-leaved Knotgrass
- Polygonum bistorta - Commom Bistort
- Polygonum equisetiforme - Horsetail Knotweed - Knotgrass
- Polygonum persicaria - Redshank - Red Leg
- Rumex vesicarius - Bladder Dock
- Plumbaginaeae - Plumbago & Leadworts
- Limonium gmelinii - Siberian Statice
- Solanaceae - Bedstraw Family
- Lycium ruthenicum - Russian Boxwood
- Note - Larvae also feed on the following plant families
- Asteraceae - Compositae - Centaurea - Knapweeds
- Note - Larvae also feed on the following plant families
- Lycium ruthenicum - Russian Boxwood
Larval Food Plants
|
|
|
|
Taxonomy
|
Kingdom:
Subkingdom: Phylum: Subphylum Class: Order: Superfamily: Family: Subfamily Tribe: Genus: Accepted Species Name: Type Species -LYCAENA: Original Species Name Literary Ref: Type Locality: Subspecies: |
Animalia
Eumetozoa Arthropoda Hexapoda Insecta Lepidoptera Papilionoidea Lycaenidae Lycaeninae Lycaenini LYCAENA Fabricius 1807 Lycaena thersamon (Esper, 1784) - Papilio phlaeas (Linnaeus, 1758) - PAPILIO thersamon (Esper, 1784) = Thersomonia thersamon (Esper, 1784) = omphale Klug, 1834. - Der europäischen Schmetterlinge ersten Theils zweyter Band : Title Page : p. 176 : pl.89 f.6 - Lebanon-Sarepta, Südrussland - L.t.persica Bienert, 1870-Kopet-Dagh : Ghissar L.t.jiadengyuensis Huang & Murayama, 1922 - Xinjiang (Altai) L.t.sajanica Huang & Murayama, 1922-Sajan Mts |