The bright copper (''Paralucia aurifer'') is a

butterfly Butterflies are winged insects from the lepidopteran superfamily Papilionoidea, characterized by large, often brightly coloured wings that often fold together when at rest, and a conspicuous, fluttering flight. The oldest butterfly fossi ...

belonging to the family

Lycaenidae Lycaenidae is the second-largest family (biology), family of butterflies (behind Nymphalidae, brush-footed butterflies), with over 6,000 species worldwide, whose members are also called gossamer-winged butterflies. They constitute about 30% of ...

Taxonomy

The bright copper was first described by

Émile Blanchard Charles Émile Blanchard (6 March 1819 – 11 February 1900) was a French zoologist and entomologist. Career Blanchard was born in Paris. His father was an artist and naturalist and Émile began natural history very early in life. When he was ...

in 1848.

Description

The adult bright copper has a wingspan of . The flight season is from December to January. The wings are dull brown on top with gold-orange triangles in the middle of each wing.

Distribution and habitat

It is found in eastern Australia including

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

, eastern

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...

Tasmania Tasmania (; palawa kani: ''Lutruwita'') is an island States and territories of Australia, state of Australia. It is located to the south of the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland, and is separated from it by the Bass Strait. The sta ...

and the

Australian Capital Territory The Australian Capital Territory (ACT), known as the Federal Capital Territory until 1938, is an internal States and territories of Australia, territory of Australia. Canberra, the capital city of Australia, is situated within the territory, an ...

Ecology

The bright copper and the ant species '' Anonychomyrma nitidiceps'' form a complex symbiotic relationship on ''

Bursaria spinosa ''Bursaria spinosa'' is a small tree or shrub in the family Pittosporaceae. The species occurs mainly in the eastern and southern half of Australia and not in Western Australia or the Northern Territory. Reaching 10 m (35 ft) high, it ...

''. 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.

Gallery

File:Paralucia aurifer egg dorsal.jpg, Egg, dorsal view File:Paralucia aurifer egg lateral.jpg, Egg, lateral view File:Paralucia aurifer larva.jpg, Larva File:Paralucia aurifer pupa.jpg, Pupa File:Paralucia aurifer male mounted.jpg, Mounted male File:Paralucia aurifer female mounted.jpg, Mounted female File:Paralucia_aurifer_male.jpg, Male File:Paralucia aurifer female.jpg, Female

References