The fiery copper or dull copper (''Paralucia pyrodiscus'') is an

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

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 ...

of 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 ...

. One of the two subspecies, ''P. p. lucida'', is commonly known as the Eltham copper. The larvae feed 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 ...

'' and are associated with '' Notoncus'' ants.

Distribution

It is found in eastern

from central

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 ...

through eastern

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 ...

and into eastern

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 ...

. Outlying populations occur in north Queensland and central Victoria.

Behavior

The

larva A larva (; : larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into their next life stage. Animals with indirect development such as insects, some arachnids, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase ...

e of ''P. p. lucida'' are

nocturnal Nocturnality is a ethology, behavior in some non-human animals characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal", versus diurnality, diurnal meaning the opposite. Nocturnal creatur ...

and feed solely on '' Busaria spinosa'' after

dusk Dusk occurs at the darkest stage of twilight, or at the very end of astronomical twilight after sunset and just before nightfall.''The Random House College Dictionary'', "dusk". At predusk, during early to intermediate stages of twilight, enoug ...

for many hours. When the temperature is above 15 °C, the larvae become inactive. They live for long periods of time, and remain active, though less-so, in the

winter Winter is the coldest and darkest season of the year in temperate and polar climates. It occurs after autumn and before spring. The tilt of Earth's axis causes seasons; winter occurs when a hemisphere is oriented away from the Sun. Dif ...

months. During these times, they rest in the

subterranean Subterranean(s) or The Subterranean(s) may refer to: * Subterranea (geography), underground structures, both natural and man-made Literature * ''Subterranean'' (novel), a 1998 novel by James Rollins * ''Subterranean Magazine'', an American fa ...

nest chambers of different '' Notoncus'' ants, depending on their geographic distribution. During the day, larvae also rest in the ants' nest chambers near the roots of ''B. spinosa.'' At night, ants herd the larvae up the ''Busaria'' plants. Their movement signals to other larvae, creating large numbers of movement each night. Several ants commonly accompany individual larva and remain with them until they finish eating. If a larva is disturbed while feeding, it retreats back into the nest and usually does not return that night. Larvae do not leave their host plant and ant nest during their development, and they

pupa A pupa (; : pupae) is the life stage of some insects undergoing transformation between immature and mature stages. Insects that go through a pupal stage are holometabolous: they go through four distinct stages in their life cycle, the stages th ...

te inside the ant nest.

Taxonomy

The fiery copper was first described by Rudolph Rosenstock in 1885.

Subspecies

The species is divided into the following two subspecies: * '' Paralucia pyrodiscus pyrodiscus'' (found from southern Queensland to eastern Victoria) * '' Paralucia pyrodiscus lucida'' Crosby, 1951 (the Eltham copper, found in central Victoria, especially

Eltham Eltham ( ) is a district of South London, southeast London, England, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich. It is east-southeast of Charing Cross, and is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. The three ...

)

Conservation

The subspecies Eltham copper was thought extinct in the 1950s. A major

conservation movement The conservation movement, also known as nature conservation, is a political, environmental, and social movement that seeks to manage and protect natural resources, including animal, fungus, and plant species as well as their habitat for the ...

surrounding it started in 1987 after a colony in the Melbourne area was found, and its existence publicised that year with the release by the Department of Conservation, Forests and Lands of a book on the butterfly by David Cameron and Phil Ingamells. It is listed as "threatened" on the Victorian ''Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act'' 1988. Populations have declined due to loss of habitat by

urbanisation Urbanization (or urbanisation in British English) is the population shift from rural to urban areas, the corresponding decrease in the proportion of people living in rural areas, and the ways in which societies adapt to this change. It can also ...

and loss of a natural fire regime. Two reserves in

were partially burnt in 1998 in an attempt to improve habitat quality for the Eltham copper. The butterfly was found in remnant bushland near Montmorency Railway Station in March 2021, the area was at risk as part of clearing for Hurstbridge line duplication works. The state government then cancelled the proposed duplication works that would impact the butterfly habitat.

Distribution

Behavior

Taxonomy

Subspecies

Conservation

References

Further reading